McCain's Energy Intentions

With Palin as his running mate, the Republican maverick's strategy at the convention—and in his campaign afterward—becomes clearer

By Jane Sasseen

At his four-day fete in Denver, Democratic Presidential contender Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) sought to reframe the Presidential race (BusinessWeek.com, 8/29/08) around the lunch-bucket economic issues he thinks give him the strongest appeal to squeezed middle-class voters. Now, as the spotlight turns to the Republican convention in St. Paul-Minneapolis, rival Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) takes his turn at trying to define the race around the issues on which he hopes he has a winning hand.

Much of McCain's campaign, of course, is based on his record on national security issues. But with the economy in the tank, he knows he has to make the sale on the economic front, as well. So at the top of the Arizona Senator's Twin Cities To-Do List will be heightened efforts to convince working-class and independent voters that the Republican alternative he's offering—low taxes, less government, and aggressive energy drilling—will do more to improve the economy and their lives than the spate of initiatives offered up by his rival.

With his surprise pick of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, McCain may just have made that task a good deal easier. Soaring oil prices have caused energy to emerge as a central issue in the race.

The Energy Card

Already, McCain has made headway with voters with his full-throated backing for expanded offshore drilling, along with increased expansion of nuclear power, coal, and other energy sources. Analysts say that position, compared with Obama's focus on a longer-term strategy to boost alternative energy, is one reason McCain was able to even the race out before the conventions began.

"A lot of voters are saying we want cheaper gas and we don't care how we get it," says Charlie Cook, editor of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. "They'll take the clean stuff and the not-so-clean stuff, as well."

The McCain camp will keep that issue front and center in St. Paul, as it believes energy will provide a critical differentiation for voters as the debate over the rival economic policies heats up. Palin could be a key asset in that fight.

Daniel Clifton, Washington policy analyst for the Strategas Group, believes the pain caused by $4-a-gallon gasoline could make energy the core economic issue of the election, even more than housing or jobs. With Palin's aggressive support for opening the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (BusinessWeek.com, 8/29/08) to more drilling, and a husband who works on the North Slope, she "personifies the choice being offered," Clifton says. "Not only does she stand for energy independence and opening up different sources, her background also helps [Republicans] make the case that expanding drilling could also help create jobs."

Wooing Hillary's Voters

At the convention and beyond, the Palin pick should also help McCain's efforts to win greater support from women voters, which he'll need if he hopes to win. Already, his campaign has made a big bid to woo the unhappy Hillary Clinton voters who have vowed not to vote for Obama. McCain has met with some of them personally, and Palin openly made a pitch to them after accepting the nod from McCain in Dayton, Ohio, on Aug. 29.