'Battleground' states again hold key

WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- The U.S. presidential election will again boil down to contests in key battleground states despite Democratic Party hopes of redrawing the map, strategists say.

Much like in 2000 and 2004, the states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio and Florida are likely to draw the most attention of the major-party nominees, while Iowa, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, Virginia, Wisconsin and New Hampshire are also being hotly contested as states that could switch party allegiances this year, The Washington Post reported Monday.

The newspaper cites unnamed advisers to the Democratic nominee, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, as saying they believe some Republican strongholds such as Georgia, North Carolina, Indiana, Montana and North Dakota, could swing to them.

But other unnamed Democratic strategists, as well as GOP operatives, told the Post they don't think that will happen, thanks to the move by Republican nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona to add Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to the ticket. They maintain Palin will serve to harden the Republican status of those would-be battlegrounds.