CARLISLE -- The McCain campaign spent more time Tuesday rallying the Republican base in the Pennsylvania "T," this time dispatching one of its top economic advisers to warn entrepreneurs that a Barack Obama presidency would be disastrous for business.

"Bottom line, if you are concerned about our economy, there's only one choice: John McCain," said Carly Fiorina, former Hewlett-Packard CEO and now the RNC's 2008 victory chairman, to a group of small business owners in a roundtable discussion.

Her visit to the small midstate town of Carlisle was part of a two-day, five-stop bus tour across Pennsylvania on board The Straight Talk Express. Although Carlisle has a population of only 18,000, it lies in the heart of a region where John McCain must do well in to overcome his disadvantage in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

"I think McCain has to handily win the 'T,'" said Luke Bernstein, executive director of the state GOP, referring to the base of GOP support in the northern tier and central sections of the state. He said the campaign seems to understand the necessity to rally the state's GOP base, pointing out that McCain campaigned in York last week.

Bernstein was one of many local Cumberland County officials at the early morning event, including state Sen. Pat Vance (R-Cumberland County), Republican Commissioner Barb Cross and Republican state House candidate Sheryl Delozier.

Much has been made of McCain's lack of appeal to the GOP base, locally and nationally. The speculation that McCain would pick former Gov. Tom Ridge, who is pro-choice, as his vice president sparked outrage among some conservatives even in Ridge's home state.

But Cross, a former marine who chaired McCain's veterans campaign in the county before being appointed commissioner earlier this year, said two issues will sell the Republican to his base: national security and the Supreme Court.

"There's no better candidate today to take on those two challenges," she said.

Vance cautioned, however, that McCain can't forget independents, either, even in the heavily Republican Cumberland County.

"In Cumberland County, the number of independents continues to grow," she said.