Republicans glory in extended Democratic battle

By Andrea Hopkins

CINCINNATI (Reuters) - As the race for the Democratic nomination for U.S. president wears on, Republican Jack Schmidt is thinking the same thing many conservatives are -- this is good for Republicans.

"They are beating themselves up to McCain's advantage," said Schmidt, 79, a retired broker, referring to presumptive Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain. "He's got some baggage too, but no one is paying attention to that."

While McCain is not getting the media attention Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are as they battle to be their party's White House nominee in November, McCain's supporters are cheering the sometimes nasty Democratic battle.

"The longer they drag it out, the better for our candidate. The longer they beat each other up the less they're beating up our candidate. It's totally to our advantage and it's great," said Chelsea Chapman, an oil and gas accountant and the president of the Houston young Republicans.

The fight between Illinois Sen. Obama, who would be the first black U.S. president, and New York Sen. Clinton, who would be the first woman in that job, has drawn huge media attention as they battle through the final primaries.

For McCain, who beat back his serious competition weeks ago, the last state nominating contests have become a formality often unnoticed by voters as he sails toward his nomination in September.

TIPPING POINT

The dramatic contest between Clinton and Obama was initially unequivocally good for Democrats and bad for Republicans, said Andrew Taylor, political science professor at North Carolina State University.

Clinton and Obama raised far more money than did Republican candidates, who were all white men. Voter registration and turnout far exceeded Republican efforts as well as excitement built for a historic Democratic nominee.

But Taylor said once McCain became the Republican choice, the benefit to Democrats of the long battle began to flatline. The delayed focus on McCain gave Republicans time to reunite after their own shorter but still divisive primary fight.

"McCain was trying to build bridges within the party, raise money, get the organization into gear," said Taylor. Meanwhile, Democrats started turning on each other.

But even that is not all good news for Republicans.

"After a while, you want to start gaining some attention. (McCain) has been around the country on this biographical type tour, and he just hasn't been able to get the kind of attention they may have wanted," Taylor said.

Republicans are also bracing for a surge in support for the youthful Obama, 46, if as expected he becomes the nominee, while McCain, 71, will struggle to appear as compelling.

"Mr. McCain is realistic enough to know he will fall behind Mr. Obama once the Democratic nomination is settled. He's steeled himself and his team for that moment," Karl Rove, the former senior adviser to President George W. Bush, said last week in a Wall Street Journal column.