McCain Backers Roll Out New Ads As Campaign Team Reshuffled

Republicans moved yesterday to boost John McCain's prospects of winning the White House, with a reshuffle of his campaign staff and a hard hitting new television advertising campaign in midwestern industrial states.

The Republican National Committee is to roll out $3m (£1.5m) in television ads at the weekend targeting Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate.

The ad campaign will run in the midwestern states that could decide next November's elections: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. It is expected to kick off with an advertisement criticizing Obama's position on energy security.

The advertising campaign follows a reshuffle of McCain's campaign staff - the second in a year. According to the McCain camp, Steve Schmidt, who worked closely with George Bush's master strategist, Karl Rove, during the 2004 campaign, will take hands-on control of operations from the current manager, Rick Davis.

Although Davis retains the title of campaign manager, staff will now report to Schmidt, the campaign said. In addition to overseeing the daily mechanics of the campaign, Schmidt will also be in charge of crafting McCain's message to voters. Davis will now focus on longterm strategy, including McCain's selection of a running mate, and help plan the party's convention in early September.

Last summer McCain reduced his staff to a skeleton team after running into a financial crisis.

The latest shakeup fueled speculation of further realignments as McCain moves to get his campaign back on track after a lackluster start against Obama.

Republicans have become increasingly vocal in their concerns that McCain has been outshone by the younger and more charismatic Obama, and that his campaign has had trouble projecting a consistent message. McCain has reportedly frustrated his staff with a number of slip-ups on the campaign trail. None so far have led to a major controversy but they have confused and muddled his campaign message.

However, Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett Packard executive who is one of his most visible advisers, told MSNBC television yesterday that McCain was merely "ramping up" his campaign. As part of that drive, he is expected to unroll a jobs creation plan on Monday before a tour across the hard-hit states of Ohio and Michigan.

McCain has also struggled to match Obama in fundraising. However, the Republican National Committee, which is financing this weekend's advertising campaign, has moved in to fill that gap.

The senator from Arizona is also hoping to offset Obama's fundraising advantage through a separate stream of advertising paid for by a new organization called the Republican Governors Association. The new entity will not operate under the stricter financial limits of a presidential campaign. It will also have more freedom in the content of its ads.

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that the new group hoped to attract funds from major Republican donors - especially those who helped back the devastating Swift Boat ads casting doubt on John Kerry's military record, in the last elections. It said one donor, Texas developer Bob Perry, had already given $250,000 to the new fundraising vehicle. Perry was one of the main backers of the Swift Boat campaign.