Winning Pennsylvania no puzzle for McCain

By James O'Toole, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette To win Pennsylvania, Sen. John McCain aims to reverse one historic trend while reinforcing another. The soon-to-be GOP nominee needs to emphasize the crossover appeal that comes with his maverick image to stem Republican erosion in the southeastern corner of the state. At the same time he needs to burnish his conservative credentials to capitalize on increased GOP strength in western and rural areas. "This is not a complicated chess game," said Terry Ma-donna, director of Franklin and Marshall College's polling operations. "It's pretty clear where you have to move the pieces.'' Democratic candidates won the state's electoral votes in each of the last four presidential elections, although President Bush twice managed to make it close. Former Vice President Al Gore won the state's... [read full story]