The dueling political party conventions over the past week have coincided with a significant build-up of intensity by the presidential campaigns in Pennsylvania.

Sen. John McCain landed in Philadelphia Monday as a toned-down GOP convention kicked off in Minnesota. He is set to make brief appearances in the Philadelphia area today — without any public events scheduled — and is due back in the state next week, with events tentatively planned in Lancaster and Delaware counties, GOP officials said.  read more »

Barack Obama’s campaign has spent millions on advertising in Pennsylvania and set up offices throughout the state. But largely absent so far has been the Democratic presidential candidate himself.

Since wrapping up the nomination in early June, Obama has campaigned in the state just twice — in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in June.

That compares with a half-dozen stops by GOP rival John McCain in the past two months. The Arizona senator made his latest appearance Monday at a label manufacturer in Montgomery County and is scheduled to return next week.

Where has the Illinois senator been?  read more »

In Pennsylvania, Democrat Barack Obama has opened up a big, early lead over Republican John McCain – in the number of local offices.

Obama has 24, McCain has three, not counting an additional seven that serve all Republican candidates.

Whether this gap ultimately makes any difference as to who wins Pennsylvania’s 21 electoral votes Nov. 4 remains to be seen.

But Obama’s strategists say the offices are part of a highly structured, volunteer-heavy plan to help carry a state that is must-win for Obama and high on McCain’s wish list.

In a conference call with reporters yesterday, Craig Schirmer, who is running Obama’s Pennsylvania campaign, laid out a plan to create more than 700 neighborhood teams to cover the state.  read more »

Doesn’t this guy have any fresh content?

Picking up where Barack Obama’s Democratic rival left off, Republican John McCain sought Wednesday to cast the Illinois senator as out of touch with ordinary Americans.

McCain made the claim during his first general election campaign stop in Pennsylvania and promised to return often, reminding state voters again and again of Obama’s remarks about ‘‘bitter’‘ Pennsylvanians.

‘‘We are going to travel all over the state of Pennsylvania, and we are going to go to the small towns in Pennsylvania and I am going to tell them I don’t agree with Sen. Obama that they cling to their religion and the Constitution because they are bitter,’‘ McCain said.  read more »

It is interesting to see that Senator McCain is using Pennsylvania and specifically the Lehigh Valley to ramp up his criticism of Senator Obama. Look for this theme to continue emerging throughout the campaign.

Sen. John McCain ridiculed Sen. Barack Obama yesterday for failing to endorse proposals put forward by himself and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to suspend the federal gasoline tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

“There are some experts who view it as the end of Western civilization as we know it,” he said of the plan’s critics, who include the Democratic candidate.  read more »

In the new Franklin & Marshall College Poll some good news for Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, and some troubling news for Democrats.

Clinton leads Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, 51% to 35% — increasing her lead from February, when she was up 44% to 37%. She leads among young voters, wealthier voters…voters in virtually every demographic group, with the exceptions of Philly voters and non-whites.

In a sign of just how divisive and ugly the Democratic fight has gotten, only 53% of Clinton voters say they’ll vote for Obama should he become the nominee. Nineteen percent say they’ll go for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and 13% say they won’t vote.