SECTION: Floor ROW: Depends…

By Shaun Neville / Washington Bureau Producer

ST. PAUL – …Depends on how important you’re viewed in November.  The seating chart isn’t as simple as alphabetical order or done geographically.  Each party gives important swing states the best seats.  (The nominee’s home state also gets good seats.)

So which states does the McCain campaign and the RNC want front and center?

That’s Ohio with front row seats, followed down the middle by Florida and Pennsylvania.  All three states are seen as vitally important in November (Pennsylvania a bigger reach for Republicans, but Florida and Ohio are certainly viewed as “must-win”).

Branching off from there, you’ll find plenty of battlegrounds up front:

So who has the bad seats?  You won’t be surprised to discover left-leaning Vermont with some of the worst seats on the floor. (For the record, it’s not last row.  That’s where American Samoa is sitting.)

But what about Alaska?  They’re also towards the back, and their governor is the vice presidential nominee.  You’d think they’d move up front (when Joe Biden was named the Democratic VP, Delaware went from last row to first.), but so far, Alaska is not going anywhere.