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Top aides quit McCain campaign
11/07/2007 07:23 - (SA)
Washington - Republican John McCain's top two aides left his struggling US presidential campaign on Tuesday, dealing a sharp blow to the Arizona senator and casting doubt on the future of his 2008 bid.
McCain said he would continue his White House run despite
the departures of manager Terry Nelson and longtime chief
strategist John Weaver, which were announced as McCain took the
Senate floor to defend President George W Bush's strategy in Iraq.
Once a front-runner in the Republican field, McCain has
fallen behind as his staunch backing for Bush on the unpopular
Iraq war and on an overhaul of immigration laws cost him
support among both moderates and conservatives.
"We've had ups and downs in other campaigns and we'll have
ups and downs with this campaign. I'm very happy with where we
are," McCain told a crush of reporters at the Capitol,
promising to "out-campaign" his rivals.
Nelson was Bush's political director during his 2004
re-election campaign and Weaver was McCain's top strategist
during his unsuccessful 2000 race for the White House. In
statements released by the campaign, neither man offered a
reason for leaving.
"I believe John McCain is the most experienced and prepared
candidate to represent the Republican Party and defeat the
Democratic nominee next year," Nelson said.
Rick Davis, McCain's campaign manager in 2000 and chief
executive officer of this campaign, will take over managing
McCain's White House run.
The shake-up follows last week's campaign reorganisation
and cutbacks in staff, the result of a weak fund-raising
quarter that left McCain with just $2m in the bank.
McCain has been lagging behind former New York Mayor Rudy
Giuliani in polls, and trails Giuliani and former Massachusetts
Governor Mitt Romney in raising money for the November 2008
election.
- Reuters
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