Karl Rove, Howard Wolfson: Obama Clearly Ahead In Race

October 6, 2008 1:24 p.m. EST

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Republican strategist Karl Rove said over the weekend Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) has clearly pulled ahead of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). But Rove also cautioned that the race could still drastically change, just as it has in the last two weeks when news of McCain's suspending his campaign, Congress' financial bailout package and the first presidential debate affected voters' perceptions.

Rove said on Sunday on his website that Obama had reached more than the 270 required electoral votes to win an election. Citing 39 new state polls in the first three days of October, Rove said the freshman Democrat now has 273 electoral votes while McCain has 163 and 102 votes remain in a toss-up.

However, Rove also cautioned, "State polls are a lagging indicator and most do not include any surveying done after the vice-presidential debate [last] Thursday night." He made similar statements on 'Fox News Sunday.'

"The campaign ebbs and flows. What we're seeing here is a result of the focus of the American people and of voters on the economic problems that have dominated the news the last several weeks. And what has happened then has been a shift to Obama... Just remember, though, 17 days ago in the electoral college McCain led 227 to 216. Fifteen days ago, on the eve of the news on the bailout, he led 216 to 215. This race is susceptible to rapid changes, and we're likely to see in the remaining four weeks more."

Howard Wolfson, the former campaign communications director for Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and an adamant critic of Obama, wrote in the New Republic the same day, "The race is over. John McCain's candidacy is as much a casualty of Wall Street as Lehman or Merrill. Like those once vibrant institutions, McCain's collapse was stunning and quick."

"An election dominated at its inception by the war in Iraq is now overwhelmingly focused on the economy.... f the election were tomorrow, Obama would win all of the states John Kerry carried and add Iowa, New Mexico, Colorado, Virginia, Nevada, Ohio and Florida," Wolfson added.

According to NBC's latest count on Monday, Obama has 264 electoral votes against McCain's 174, up from a 212-174 Obama lead last week.

Rove, is a former presidential deputy chief of staff and the architect of President George W. Bush's two successive electoral victories.