The Hart campaign mechanically was wholly unprepared to handle front-runner status. The calendar gives some breaks to McCain. In South Carolina, Michigan and Virginia, the primaries are open to all voters, just as in New Hampshire. In New York, McCain just won a legal battle and will qualify for the ballot there after Bush's allies tried to keep him off. This is as much the messenger as it is the message.
Republicans are intense about putting the best person on the field.
In that sense Gore's tough-guy performance has even raised that question even more. Much depends on South Carolina. A Bush victory in South Carolina, a state that secured his father's nomination in 1988, could damage McCain immensely, robbing him of momentum and restoring Bush's appeal as a winner. News Jobs AP Shopping Archives Entertain.