GOP's Strength Frays at Local Level

Their national candidate needs support, but the Republican Party's state chapters are in no position to lend John McCain a hand, Politico reports. From New York to Alaska, local organizations are rife with dissension, debt, and scandal. "We are clearly rebuilding," says the Michigan GOP chairman.

“We are dying at the box office,” said California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. “We are not filling the seats.” Indeed, the 2006 election season took a massive toll, and state parties have seen voter rolls shrink and treasure chests go empty. One local chairman says Republicans, as “the values party," are especially vulnerable, and might have trouble rebounding with their disaffected base. (More John McCain stories.)