McCain Aims For 3rd Ticket Out of Iowa

"Like A Horse Race . . . Win, Place, Show"

URBANDALE, IA -- Springfield resident Matt Lyons joined other volunteers from around the country to make phone calls for John McCain in Iowa, in hopes of a strong third place finish that could propel him to a primary victory in New Hampshire.

"Like a horse race, win, place and show. And third place is a good finish," Lyons said between phone calls at McCain's Urbandale office.

"With the recent events in Pakistan, it's underscored for me to have an experienced, steady hand in the White House," Lyons said.

Iowans all across the state are getting bombarded with phone calls today. Most of the calls go to committed supporters, reminding them of the caucus time (7 p.m.) and location. Making sure voters actually get to the caucus is one of the biggest challenges for campaigns here.

Anecdotally, Lyons said he hasn't gotten many people who said they would be switching away from McCain. The McCain camp believes its biggest rival for third is Fred Thompson. "I'm feeling pretty good about things," Lyons said.