McCain's Q-C backers to celebrate his victory
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By Ed Tibbetts | Tuesday, March 04, 2008 |
Alice Harris remembers the dog days of last summer when her pick for president, John McCain, was being written off by most pundits.
The Arizona senator, short on money, laid off most of his Iowa staff, paid relatively few visits to the state and trailed in the polls.
“There were times when I wondered, ‘Why am I doing this?’ ” said Harris, a 72-year-old from Bettendorf who spent hours making phone calls for McCain.
The payoff may come as soon as tonight. By some estimates, McCain can get to the 1,191 delegates he needs to win the GOP nomination with victories today in Texas, Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island.
McCain has tried not to look presumptuous in counting the nomination as his already. And neither have his Quad-City supporters.
But tonight, at a Davenport pub, a group will get together to mark what they hope is the end of the road to the GOP nomination — and the beginning of a reunification of party members behind McCain’s candidacy.
The gathering, open to potential supporters but organized by McCain backers, will be at Kelly’s Irish Pub and Eatery, 2222 E. 53rd St. It will start at 5:45 p.m.
The meeting will be an especially sweet moment for McCain backers who have been with him from the start.
“We all look pretty smart now — or lucky,” joked Jim Goff of Davenport, the chairman of McCain’s effort in east central Iowa.
McCain finished in a virtual tie for third in January’s caucuses, behind ex-governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
He bounced back to win New Hampshire, then South Carolina and has been on a path to the nomination since.
Now, people like Harris are brimming.
“It’s pretty super,” said Harris, who has been a McCain backer since 2000.
McCain overperformed in Scott County, getting 19 percent of the vote, more than any other urban county and better than the 13 percent he got statewide.
McCain has a special connection to the Quad-Cities. A top aide and co-author on his books, Mark Salter, is a native. And his family was especially active in the campaign here. Even when it was tough to convince people, said Mike Salter of Bettendorf, Mark’s brother, there was no doubt about their choice.
“I always thought he was the best man for the job,” Mike Salter said.
Now, the McCain team here has the task of reaching out to Republicans who backed other candidates. They have been doing that informally, at local party headquarters or fundraisers for candidates.
Tonight also will be a step in that effort, and it will likely continue at this weekend’s Scott County Republican convention.
“When Republicans look at the alternative, whether it’s Sen. Clinton or Sen. Obama, I believe that certainly by the time we get to November, we’ll be united,” Goff said.
Ed Tibbetts can be contacted at (563) 383-2327 or etibbetts@qctimes.com. Comment on this article at qctimes.com.
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