ELYRIA — At a quick-and-to-the-point rally at Lorain County Community College, Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain made a plea for the presidency in front of thousands.

The senator from Arizona, looking to increase his standing in Ohio in an effort to grab the state’s 20 electoral votes, rolled his “Straight Talk Express” bus into the city after similar events in Defiance and Sandusky.

With a message of reform, prosperity and peace, McCain, who is trailing Democratic presidential rival Sen. Barack Obama in national polls, reminded the crowd he stands for the same simple values as they do and would use those principles to guide him as the next president.

“I’m going to go to Washington and change Washington and bring ‘Joe the Plumber’ with me,” he said.

The brief stop totaled less than 15 minutes — much shorter than the two hours many waited just to get a glimpse of the man.

BRUCE BISHOP/CHRONICLE

John McCain meets the crowd at Lorain County Community College.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the future president of America,” said 21-year-old Paul Skorvanek of Lorain.  “I like the way he carried himself. I think he is the right man for the job.”

McCain was joined by South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, his wife Cindy and daughter Meghan, and political celebrity Samuel “Joe the Plumber” Wurzelbacher. Wurzelbacher’s presence was not just on stage but in the crowd, where numerous handmade signs that read “I’m Joe the Plumber” waved as he told the crowd to “Vote for the real American: John McCain.”

McCain pledged to keep taxes low, not increase spending, stop corruption in Washington, create jobs and keep the country safe. Talk of “energy independence” and “off-shore drilling” further energized the crowd, but not nearly as much as when McCain uttered the name of his running mate.

The mere mention of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who was stumping in other parts of the country, caused the crowd to break into chants of “Sarah, Sarah, Sarah.”

Amy Young of Amherst, 29,  a mother and self-proclaimed independent at the McCain rally said she is all for Palin.

“She’s a mom. Moms are the best multitaskers there are,” she said. “I wanted Sen. Hillary Clinton because she was a mom. I think it’s time not only for a little change, but a big change.”

Young said she is bucking the trend of those in her age group and not supporting Obama.

“I go with what the person stands for, not what the party stands for,” she said.

Young said she wants the focus back on those who have supported themselves their whole lives.

But before McCain said he could make that happen, he told the crowd there was something he needed them to do for him. With just five days left before Election Day, McCain asked each audience member to call 10 of their friends and get them to call 10 of their friends to encourage them to back McCain.

Then, he said, all of them can quiet their doubters and make some real change.

Contact Lisa Roberson at 329-7121 or lroberson@chroniclet.com.

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