McCain turned his attention to the November general election , while the Democratic primaries continued to be a battle between Clinton and Obama . McCain faced the challenge of staying in the news as the Democrats garnered headlines with their protracted nomination battle , which showed no signs of ending before the Democratic National Convention in late August . However , having the nomination locked up early also gave McCain time to build a national organization and put his general election strategy into action for the six months leading up to the Republican National Convention . McCain planned to raise money and visit several sites in the U.S. before embarking on a tour of Europe and the Middle East as part of a congressional delegation . McCain did not immediately indicate when he would make his choice for Vice President . Even before his March 4 primary wins , McCain indicated that he would campaign " everywhere " in the general election — including traditionally Democratic states like California , New Jersey and Connecticut . A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released March 12 showed McCain in a virtual tie with both Obama and Clinton in hypothetical November matchups . In an attempt to make up for his fundraising disadvantage in relation to the Democratic candidates , the campaign merged its resources with the Republican National Committee , and named former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina head of the " Victory 2008 " committee charged with fundraising and Get Out The Vote efforts . The campaign also announced that it would use an unorthodox organizational structure , opting to have several regional campaign directors rather than one centralized staff
Republican National Convention
2008 Republican National Convention
John McCain 2008 presidential campaign