Candidates Try to Make Cultural Connections

WASHINGTON _ When Sen. John McCain's Straight Talk Express bus rolls back into the South, it will carry a main ingredient of a slick, culture-conscious campaign: Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

"This is an inclusive campaign," said McCain spokesman Dan McLagan. "Doughnut lovers of all kinds are welcome here."

McCain, R-Ariz., abandoned Dunkin' Donuts, a staple in the North, when he headed south for the battleground state of South Carolina. And from New Hampshire to California, the four leading presidential candidates are using food, clothes and religion to seem at home all over this multi-cultural country.
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