Republicans say McCain has botched race

ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 19 (UPI) -- Republican U.S. presidential nominee John McCain is being hammered by some within his own party and the conservative media for the way he has run his campaign.

Conservative Bill Kristol, editor of The Weekly Standard, has said McCain was "flailing around," while former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, when asked whether he was happy with McCain's campaign, replied, "No. I don't know who is."

For his part, Washington Post columnist George Will said it was "too late" for McCain to "come up with a new persona."

The comments were put together in an e-mail from Florida Democrats, The Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel reported Sunday.

The newspaper reported that many Republican heavyweights in Florida wonder whether McCain's national campaign has taken the state for granted.

"My question would be, 'What campaign?' I just don't see one," said Bill Negron, an Orlando member of McCain's regional Hispanic steering committee. "To me, it looks like people are working hard to ensure that McCain doesn't get elected."

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has led in 10 of the past 11 polls, while McCain has struggled to gain traction. Obama has 300 staffers in the state working alongside thousands of volunteers. The Illinois senator has also outspent McCain 3-to-1 on television advertising.