OPINION

Obama has his work cut out for him on the political map

Townhall Staff
Townhall Staff  |  Jun 09, 2011
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Officials from both parties are already focusing on roughly a dozen key states in preparation for next year’s presidential election, as Republicans view a group of states won by President George W. Bush in 2004 but Barack Obama four years later as fertile territory for a GOP comeback because of public concern about the economy.

The emerging electoral map illustrates a dynamic even Democrats privately concede: Obama’s path to victory will be narrower than it was in 2008 when he scored a 365-electoral vote victory over Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) thanks to a massive fundraising edge, Bush fatigue and a struggling economy. There are many states, such as Indiana, that Obama could lose that he won in 2008, but few he could shift the other way.