14 House Republicans (and more) refuse to endorse McCain

Much ink has been spilt about the two Blue Dogs who have refused to endorse Obama. Will these guys get as much attention?

At least 14 Republican members of Congress have refused to endorse or publicly support Sen. John McCain for president, and more than a dozen others declined to answer whether they back the Arizona senator [...]

McCain’s campaign seized on some Democrats’ reticence about Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), issuing a release on Tuesday that highlighted that Rep. Dan Boren (D-Okla.) is not endorsing the presumptive nominee. While some conservative Democrats have yet to endorse Obama and didn’t back Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) in 2004, there are both centrist and conservative Republicans representing various parts of the country who are not embracing McCain.

Republican members who have not endorsed or publicly backed McCain include Sens. Chuck Hagel (Neb.) and Jeff Sessions (Ala.) and Reps. Jones, Peterson, John Doolittle (Calif.), Randy Forbes (Va.), Wayne Gilchrest (Md.), Virgil Goode (Va.), Tim Murphy (Pa.), Ron Paul (Texas), Ted Poe (Texas), Todd Tiahrt (Kan.), Dave Weldon (Fla.) and Frank Wolf (Va.).

That's at least 26 Republicans who are distancing themselves from McCain. In a way, that's not exactly disastrous for the Senior Senator from Arizona. Earning the disdain of Republicans is a political plus this year. However, that disdain cuts both ways -- without elected Republicans available to help with fundraising, visibility, surrogate work, and GOTV assistance, McCain is forced to shoulder more of the load himself. And in a year when the Republican machine is sputtering and in desperate need of updating, McCain can't easily afford to lose allies.