Obama wants big 2012 campaign map, GOP wants small

Republican presidential hopeful, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty speaks at the AFP RightOnline Conference in Minneapolis on Saturday, June 18, 2011. (AP Photo/The Star Tribune, Jim Gehrz) MANDATORY CREDIT; ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS OUT; MAGS OUT; TWIN CITIES TV OUT The Associated Press FILE - In this March 21, 2011, file photo President Barack Obama and his daughter Malia arrive in Santiago, Chile. In an interview Obama concedes he's nervous about his daughter Malia turning 13 in July. Asked how he would feel about Malia starting to date, the president quipped, in a reference to the Secret Service, that "I have men with guns who surround them all the time ... and it means they never get in a car with a boy who had a beer." He said he might ask Malia's date "what his GPA is" and what his intentions and career plans are. But he quickly adds that if the girls are watching the interview, "I'm just joking." (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File) The Associated PressCHICAGO (AP) — Republicans hope voters' fears about the economy will help them reclaim a handful of Western and Southern states that were crucial to Barack Obama's 2008 presidential win.Obama's campaign vows to hold those states next year. It wants to expand the campaign map and force Republicans to spend precious resources in several states they'd like to consider safe for their eventual nominee.Republicans want a small map and big wins in battleground states such as Florida and Ohio. Those states were key to George W. Bush's victories in 2000 and 2004.Republicans scoff at Obama's claim that he can compete strongly in GOP-leaning Georgia and Arizona. They say the nation's weak economy gives them a chance to win normally Democratic states such as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.