Marketplace Today Blog

By Craig Gilbert
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Milwaukee and Green Bay were two of the nation's top four markets for presidential ads last week, a testament to Wisconsin's status as one of the few "blue" states left in play.

The state as a whole ranked sixth among battlegrounds in TV spending by the candidates last week, according to data released Wednesday by the Wisconsin Advertising Project.

But for Republican John McCain, who starts a two-day swing in Wisconsin today, the struggle to turn the state from blue to red is getting tougher.

Three state polls released in the past two days give Democrat Barack Obama a lead of 10 percentage points over McCain. A fourth poll gives him a lead of five.

In the past 23 public polls conducted in Wisconsin since mid-May, McCain has trailed in every one.

As daunting as those numbers are, the Arizona Republican has little alternative to spending time and money in Wisconsin. After essentially giving up on Michigan last week, McCain is contesting only three sizable blue states (states carried by the Democrats in 2004): Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Minnesota.

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