When Democrats gathered in Denver to vote for Barack Obama as their party's presidential candidate this week, his Republican rival John McCain was busy traveling between one fundraiser and another in California, a traditional Democratic stronghold.

As the race for the White House began to unfold in full with both parties officially kicking off the campaigns at their national conventions, McCain was determined to woo California voters who usually support a Democrat in the presidential election, political analysts said.

Recent national polls in the United States showed that the Republican candidate pulled even with or slightly ahead of his Democratic rival Obama, but the latest poll in California showed that Obama had a 24-point lead in the state.

But McCain said he would aggressively contest California.

"We're going to compete and win in the state of California. There's a lot of the political pundits that say we can't win in California. We can and will," he told guests at a fundraising reception in San Diego of Southern California Wednesday night.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, California's Hollywood action star-turned governor, might be a highlight speaker at the opening night of the Republican National Convention, which begins next Monday in St Paul, Minnesota.

Republican officials hoped that the presence of Schwarzenegger, a Republican with special appeal for independents and liberally conservative voters as he was seeking political balance between Democrats and Republicans, would offset the impact of two other speakers at the convention's opening ceremony.

U.S. President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, whose approval ratings are in the record low of 30 percent range, are scheduled to address the convention Monday night.

However, Schwarzenegger's appearance in Minnesota is not a sure bet, as the California governor promised McCain that he could speak at the convention only if the current budget crisis in the state legislature is resolved by then.

"I'm honored to do anything to help him win, but the state and the budget are most important," Schwarzenegger said last week in California after Republican officials announced their lineup of convention speakers.

Although a budget deal by the weekend seems unlikely as state lawmakers have got bogged down on spending issues, convention organizers still expect Schwarzenegger to make it when the convention opens Monday, coincidentally the Labor Day holiday.

Observers said the effort to have Schwarzenegger at the convention before television audiences across the country was a smart move for McCain's campaign, because it would show that Republicans care about not only the base of the party, but also average voters.

Meanwhile, two high-profile Silicon Valley women executives are among speakers on economic issues during the four-day Republican National Convention, as part of Republicans' efforts to reach voters concerned about the souring U.S. economy.

Former Hewlett-Packard chief executive Carly Fiorina and eBay's ex-CEO Meg Whitman are expected to appear at the convention Wednesday night along with McCain's billionaire heiress wife Cindy and his vice-presidential running mate.

The two famous businesswomen in Corporate America have become fervent McCain supporters in recent months, and the McCain camp hopes that they could help attract female and pro-Democratic voters, and counter Democrats' recent criticism that McCain is "out of touch" on the economy.

(Xinhua News Agency August 29, 2008)