Republican presidential hopeful John McCain has been trying to close the gap in the early primary voting states and some friends want to help — but he says he doesn’t want it.
 
The New York Times and others are reporting that a group of his supporters have formed an independent group and started to run a television advertisement in South Carolina — where McCain’s 2000 bid fell apart — to help boost his effort. 
 
McCain’s campaign has been plagued with poor fund raising and staff turnover for much of the year, but in recent weeks he has been seen by political analysts as beginning to turn his campaign around.
 
The Arizona Republican senator has been a fierce critic of the way political campaigns have been financed and helped rewrite the law to overhaul the system in 2002. Upon learning of the new effort to help his 2008 bid, McCain issued a strong condemnation. 
 
“I have long opposed the use of soft money by independent groups trying to influence elections,” McCain said in a statement. “Anyone who believes they could assist my campaign by exploiting a loophole in campaign finance laws is doing me and our country a disservice.”
 
The outside effort was being led by Rick Reed, whose co-produced the television ads by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth that questioned the war record of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry during the 2004 election. 
 
At the same time, McCain is reportedly looking for a loan to fill his drained campaign coffers. He has raised some $32.1 million this year but has spent $28.6 million. His opponents have raised millions more. 

Photo credit: Reuters/Larry Downing (McCain at a debate in South Carolina in May)