McCain hopes for Pennsylvania upset

STATE COLLEGE, Pa., Nov. 1 (UPI) -- Supporters of Republican U.S. presidential nominee John McCain are focusing their hopes on an upset win in Pennsylvania, political analysts say.

They believe that by gaining Pennsylvania's 21 electoral votes, they can make the contest against Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois closer and perhaps set the stage for an Election Day surprise, The Washington Post reported Saturday.

McCain, a U.S. senator from Arizona, hopes to gain under-the-radar support from conservative Pennsylvania Democrats who backed U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., in the Democratic primaries and still aren't enthusiastic about Obama.

"I think Pennsylvania could be a big surprise to the conventional thought in the Democratic Party," said Lynn Forester de Rothschild, a top fundraiser for Clinton's campaign now campaigning for McCain. "Pennsylvania is a conservative Democratic state, and John McCain can win it. We are targeting independents and Democrats, and they're just not comfortable with Barack Obama's plan for America, because it's outside of the mainstream."

A win in Pennsylvania, however, would be a long-shot for McCain. The state has not gone for a Republican presidential candidate for 20 years, and several major polls indicate Obama is holding onto a double-digit lead, the Post reported.