McCain content to let Democrats keep fighting

By Steve Holland

TOLEDO, Ohio (Reuters) - Republican John McCain's presidential campaign is content to let Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton fight on.

The prospect for an even longer Democratic battle resulted from Clinton's defeat of Obama in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, meaning the contest is likely to last at least another two weeks until May 6, when North Carolina and Indiana vote.

As top McCain adviser Mark Salter said, Democrats should "take their time -- don't rush."

Republican strategists believe McCain has benefited from having won his party's nomination in March, giving him time to raise much-needed cash and lay the groundwork for his general election campaign, even though the Democratic battle has dominated U.S. headlines.

The Clinton-Obama battle has meant the Democrats have not yet trained all their fire on McCain, a 71-year-old Arizona senator who is seeking to keep the White House in Republican control for a third straight term, a task made even more difficult with the U.S. economy ailing.

"During this period the Democrat interest groups have not been able to focus on McCain," said Republican strategist Scott Reed. "They're still focused on struggling with their internal fight."

McCain himself sounded unsure as to whether the long Democratic fight has helped or hurt him, but in talking to reporters on Tuesday, he made clear he has been watching the show closely.

"In fact I saw one of the cable shows last night -- I don't know why I watch! -- that said that this is really good for the Democratic Party, that they are registering more voters, that it's getting more interest, that they're raising more money. I don't have a view on that. But I know that there are very different opinions on it," he said.