John McCain and his wife are in Ohio, gearing up for his "Road to the Convention" rally Friday. Then, it's off to the Republican National Convention in Minnesota. That's where Gov. Linda Lingle is headed tomorrow. She spent part of Thursday touring a recently renovated public housing site, but she's also preparing for her big speech on Tuesday, the second day of the convention .

Recent polls show a very close race between McCain and Obama. With democrats dominating news coverage this week, Obama may have a slight advantage. But Lingle believes no matter who has the fancier convention, Mccain will still come out on top.

"I think when they are compared side by side about who do you want to lead our nation during challenging times, not just here at home but in the world, I think people are going to make that decision very clearly for Sen. John McCain.

Still, with the bar set high by the democrats, the pressure is on for the republicans to put on a good show. Crews have been busy prepping the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. That's where McCain is going to accept the party's presidential nomination.

Hawaii delegate Gene Ward will be there to vote for McCain. The state lawmaker squeezes in some campaigning time before he leaves for Minnesota Saturday.

"I trust whoever wins it's going to be the right person," he said. "I think we have a very good chance at that." He continued, "I think in the end, it's going to be the common sense of the common people for the common good.

Ward is one of 20 republican delegates from Hawaii. He says they are 100% united with all 20 votes going to McCain, unlike the democrats that had a lone delegate voting for Hillary Clinton.

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