By Christopher Beam and Chadwick Matlin
With Super Tuesday looming, the past week has been as frenzied as any period in the presidential race so far. No longer courting one state at a time, the candidates have burned carbon and cash in record quantities, sometimes touching down in as many as three states in one day.
So, where have they visited and why? Here’s a quick rundown of their travels, with links to maps of their paths, powered by Slate ’s Map the Candidates . Click on a candidate’s name to see where he or she has visited nationwide; click on a state to see the candidate’s visits within that state.
Total states: 11. Total stops: 19.
Barack Obama
:
Obama has been a beast on the trail the last 10 days. After winning South Carolina, Obama has buzzed his way through 16 states but hasn’t stayed long. He’s held more than one stop in only two states (
California
and
Missouri
). Eight of the states he visited, Hillary Clinton never touched. (And five of which Bill Clinton never set foot in, either.) Usually favoring massive,
20,000-person rallies
over intimate affairs, Obama’s strategy has been simple: get his face in front of as many people as possible. Huge crowds turned out in
Idaho
,
Minnesota
, and
Colorado
. But that strategy means he can’t linger long in any state, so he has supplemented his rallies with a
massive advertising budget
. Obama’s
Super Bowl ad buy
was more impressive for its audacity than its content. All of this seems to be helping: He has seen his poll numbers jump nationwide and hasn’t had a press day since South Carolina.
Total states: 16. Total stops: 18 (through Monday).
Mike Huckabee
:
Other than an extended, two-day stay in California, Mike Huckabee has barely left the South. He’s made at least two stops in
Tennessee
,
Georgia
,
Alabama
,
Arkansas
, and
Oklahoma
(not to mention pre-Florida-primary stops in Missouri). Huckabee figures that if he can’t capture the evangelical vote in the South, he can’t capture any piece of the vote anywhere else. Plus, Huckabee’s regional focus helps him efficiently run on whatever
fiscal fumes
he has left in the tank. If Huckabee were competing in the Democratic race with proportional delegate assignments, he would have a much better chance of lasting beyond Feb. 5. But in winner-take-all states, not even a concentrated focus will rescue Huckabee—even in the Evangelical South.
Total states: 7 states. Total stops: 21 (through Monday; not including stops in Florida).
John McCain
:
Ever since winning Florida, McCain has racked up more endorsements than a NASCAR driver. Rudy Giuliani has backed him, as has Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steve Forbes, Ted Olson, the
Los Angeles Times
, and seemingly every other mainstream paper in the country. His support in
national polls
is nearly double Romney’s; he beats Hillary Clinton in
head-to-head matchups
. And with an influx of post-New Hampshire funds, McCain has the luxury of conducting a truly national campaign. His media team said it made a seven-figure ad buy, touting McCain as the ”
true conservative
,” in all of the Super Tuesday states except Utah. States with lots of delegates—
California
,
New York
,
Illinois
,
Massachusetts
(Romney’s home turf)—crowd his schedule. But he has also dropped in on winner-take-all states
Delaware
and
New Jersey
, plus Romney strongholds (a relative term, at this point)
Georgia
and
Alabama
. And whereas Romney has dispatched his family on the trail, McCain has real surrogates like Joe Lieberman and Forbes spreading the word.
Total states: 10. Total stops: 14.
Mitt Romney
:
Super Tuesday could well be Romney’s last stand. The GOP primaries are largely winner-take-all, so whoever dominates is likely to emerge with a strong lead in delegates. In the past week, Romney and his jet-setting brood have focused on states with significant religious conservative populations, where McCain’s lead isn’t decisive. On Sunday alone, Mitt blitzed
Missouri
and
Illinois
, wife Ann visited
Minnesota
, and his son Josh campaigned in
Colorado
. He has also tried to chip away at Mike Huckabee’s base in evangelical strongholds
Tennessee
and
Georgia
. The campaign’s media strategy shows similar selectivity: Instead of blanketing all 21 GOP states with ads (as McCain is doing), Romney is buying spots in big markets like California, where they’ll do the most damage. And of course he’s banking on wins in Utah, where he attended the funeral of Mormon leader Gordon Hinckley on Saturday, and
Massachusetts
. If he can’t count on those, he’s in trouble.
Total states: 9. Total stops: 13.
Total states: 6. Total stops: 15.