The McCain campaign, seeing the handwriting on the wall, yesterday pulled resources out of Michigan, conceding the state to Barack Obama. The decision will allow McCain to focus scarce resources to other states where the campaign feels they can be competitive. From the Washington Post:

McCain will cease airing television ads in the state, and most of his staff will be redirected to other battlegrounds, including Maine, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, campaign officials said. Plans for direct mail in Michigan will be canceled and no new field offices will be opened as the campaign enters its final weeks.

In the face of falling poll numbers in a number of key swing states, McCain senior adviser Greg Strimple called Michigan “the worst state of all of the states that are in play. It’s an obvious one, from my view, to come off the list.”

We have highlighted Michigan heavily on this blog as a must win state for Barack Obama. Obama has concentrated heavy resources there, and has suceeded.

McCain seems to be sinking heavily in PA as well, and I predicted yesterday that he would pull out of PA. He pulled out of Michigan instead. But the key battleground states are tilting towards Barack Obama, and it is getting a little bit harder to figure the McCain route to 270 electoral votes.