The John McCain campaign just made a purchase of Indiana airtime for campaign commercials that will air over a five day period starting tomorrow.

He becomes the first Republican candidate for President to buy time here since Bob Dole in 1996.

The McCain ads you see now are purchased by the Republican National Committee.

John McCain resumed all campaign activities today and shortly thereafter the Republican National Committee made an Indiana television buy.

It is an historic strategic move.  While its the RNC and not the McCain campaign you can anticipate that the ads will be in support of the Republican nominee.  Bob Dole was the last Republican Presidential candidate to run TV ads here.  That was 1996 and he did so only on the final weekend of the campaign.

We’ll have details and reaction on 24 Hour News 8 at 6.

Politics aside, the Republican National Convention here in St. Paul is a much more pleasant experience than the Democratic National Convention was in Denver, a least for reporters that is.

There are more and better food choices near the workspace, a workspace that is connected to the convention hall as compared to trailers in a parking lot.  The arena concourses are bigger and so are the suites where we do live shots.   There are cabs waiting outside the gate where you could find none in Denver. 

In another contrast, volunteers from the host committee are inside and outside the hall and they are not only friendly, but helpful.

Its day 2 of a 4 day Republican National Convention and Indiana delegates seem to enjoy all the free time so far.  Today you could see delegates boarding buses to go to Stillwater, Minnesota (sort of a northern version of Brown County.)  Others went golfing and still others headed to the Mall of America shopping .

The political business begins in earnest tonight and will require a change of gears.  Delegates I talked with seem torn about the President speaking.  They don’t want to disrespect him but they aren’t sure he will help the cause.

I just witnessed Mitch Daniels conducting an interview with WBBM from Chicago.  The Republican governor seeking re-election did his best in a 30 hour visit to the Twin Cities to maximize his media exposure.  Satellite interviews arranged by the Republican National Committee and meetings with Indiana media were part of it. 

Its the sort of activity that makes you wonder why Democrat Jill Long Thompson passed up the DNC in Denver.

Our story on the governor’s visit will air at 10 pm on MyNDY and at 11pm on WISH.