The Republican Party met last week in St. Paul, Minn., to nominate Sen. John McCain as its presidential candidate. McCain has a 25.7 percent lifetime vote score from NSSGA. While he has consistently been a strong advocate for NSSGA’s positions on tax and regulatory issues as well as a vocal opponent of the Employee Free Choice Act, McCain’s opposition to earmarks and what he considers “pork barrel spending” has led him to vote against virtually every appropriations bill that NSSGA has key-voted, as well as SAFETEA-LU. During her 2006 campaign, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, McCain's running mate, highlighted transportation as a key issue of her platform. Meanwhile, Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate, holds a 65 percent score on transportation issues from NSSGA, while his vice presidential running mate, Joe Biden, stands at 54.3 percent.