McCain Rally: McCain Pitches Credentials to ‘Neighbor’

Elizabeth Holmes reports on the presidential race from Roswell, N.M. John McCain will hold seven rallies Monday as part of his cross-country tour of battleground states. Washington Wire, traveling with the McCain campaign, will report on each as they happen. (See updates from the stops: Preview , Stop One , Stop Two , Stops Three and Four , Stop Five ) STOP 5: Roswell, N.M. WHY: New Mexico is a highly contested battleground state. McCain has held rallies in Albuquerque and Mesilla, N.M. recently but hasn’t been to this southeast corner of the state. An average of New Mexico polls by nonpartisan Real Clear Politics has Obama leading by seven points. THE EVENT: The McCain plane made its fifth stop of the day, landing here in a city best known for its extraterrestrial life. But rather than fight the characterization, the campaign embraced it. Audience members waved inflatable green aliens. Spiraling lights in the shape of UFOs floated along the walls. Even McCain ... (link)