Facing an opponent who got a head start, the presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is gearing up for the general election race in Pennsylvania, gradually adding staff and coordinating with local Republican party activists.

It could prove to be an uphill battle for McCain. Voters in the state, which has not gone Republican in 20 years, are increasingly leaning Democratic. His opponent, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), had to build an organization in the state for a fiercely competitive primary while McCain had already secured the Republican nomination.

"He didn't engage in a real field battle here and Obama absolutely did," said Chris Borick, a pollster and political science professor at Muhlenberg College in Allentown. "That's always an advantage. He's been through the cycle here and McCain's starting from scratch."

People involved with McCain's campaign are confident he will make up whatever ground Obama had. They are making clear that in a state where Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) won the Democratic primary by almost 10 points, her supporters are a prize they will be chasing fervently.

"We look forward to engaging with them about supporting Sen. McCain," said Paul Lindsay, a campaign spokesman.

Like his efforts in many states, McCain's effort in Pennsylvania will be largely decentralized from his campaign headquarters. The Republican National Committee is expected to work closely with party activists throughout the state in organizing the campaign. Between the RNC and the candidate himself, McCain expects to have offices in every region of the state. He will be in Philadelphia June 11 for a policy address and in Bucks County June 30 for a town hall meeting.

"Our footprint is going to be getting a lot bigger in recent weeks," said Jon Seaton, the RNC's regional director for Ohio and Pennsylvania. "We're running a campaign that we think is going to work for Pennsylvania. That really involves having a strong presence in the right counties ... not a one-size-fits-all."

The campaign has already tapped Ted Christian, who campaigned for President Bush in 2004 and more recently in former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum's (R-Pa.) failed reelection campaign. Most of the regional staff will be based out of Columbus, Ohio, seemingly in recognition of the fact that Ohio could be even more of a crucial swing state than Pennsylvania in the fall.

With almost one million more registered Democrats than Republicans in the state, thanks in part to a swarm of people who switched parties to participate in the historic Democratic primary, analysts and pollsters are predicting a tough run for McCain.

"Democrats don't need Republicans to win a state race anymore," said Neil Oxman, a longtime Democratic consultant in Philadelphia. "You don't need a single republican."

Even former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, whose name has been floated as a possible running mate, has said McCain is playing catch up.

"John's big challenge in a lot of these key states ... is building an organization," he told The Morning Call recently.

Still, McCain does have some promising surrogates in the state, including U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter and Ridge. Elliot Curson, a longtime Republican advertising consultant, said it was important for McCain to tack to the center on policy issues and to always appear lively.

"McCain has to show a lot of energy," Curson said. "And he's got to generate votes among people who like Hillary Clinton."

In the end, pollsters and analysts say, the outcome of the race could depend on the Philadelphia suburbs. Obama will easily take the Democratic stronghold of Philadelphia by huge margins, and McCain will likely prevail in most of the rest of the state, they say. If McCain can win the suburban Philadelphia voters who backed Clinton in the primary, the race could be his.

"The key thing is for him to focus on the Philadelphia suburbs," Curson said. "He's got a lot of work cut out for him. But the election is winnable for McCain."