Could Indiana Go Blue?

From Newsweek magazine: Picture a swing state. Got it? Good. Chances are it looks peninsular, like Florida. Or triangular, like New Hampshire. Or maybe even amoeboid, like Ohio.

But I'm willing to bet it doesn't look like Indiana.

There's good reason for that. Technically, swing states are states that, you know, swing from election to election. Like, say, Iowa, which voted for Al Gore in 2000 and George W. Bush in 2004. By this measure, Indiana isn't a swing state at all. It's chosen the Republican candidate in every election since 1964--and it hasn't even been close. Last time around, Bush won the Hoosier state by 15.7 percent. His margin of victory in 2000--20.7 points--was even larger.

So why, then, has Barack Obama opened 32 local offices, hired dozens of paid staffers, spent at least $1.5 million on general-election TV ads and made five stops in the state since mid-July? Answer: because he thinks Indiana may finally be ready to swing. For months, the Republican Party appeared to disagree. John McCain hasn't visited since July 1,hasn't opened any field offices and hasn't sent any paid staffers, choosing instead to bundle operations in county Republican headquarters that also manage outreach for Gov. Mitch Daniels' reelection bid. But suddently, it seems, the GOP has had a change of heart. Today, the RNC is launching a nearly $5 million advertising blitz in Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and--for the first time--Indiana. That's no coincidence.

Read the entire Newsweek article here.