BANGOR – On the eve of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s scheduled visit to Bangor, the Republican National Committee announced it was pulling presidential ads from both Wisconsin and Maine.

While the move appears contrary to the Sen. John McCain campaign’s insistence that the Pine Tree State and its four electoral votes are in play, at the very least it could put more pressure on Palin’s visit, pundits say.

“In reality, Maine should be the least of their concerns after having to now defend all these previously safe states for him,” said Mark Brewer, a political scientist at the University of Maine. “Her visit is still important, though, because it’s not only the people that go see her, it’s the free media that comes with it. In that way, it’s a way to get more coverage without spending more money.”

Palin is scheduled to address an anticipated crowd of thousands at about 10 a.m. Thursday inside Hangar 11 at Bangor International Airport. The “Road to Victory” rally is open only to valid ticket-holders, who will be allowed entrance beginning at 8 a.m.

The Alaska governor’s visit comes as Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has begun to pull away from McCain in many national and battleground state polls as the days before Election Day dwindle.

The RNC announced Wednesday afternoon it was focusing advertising dollars on more traditional “red” states in the final three weeks before the election. Those states include Colorado, Missouri, Indiana and Virginia, where Obama is showing strength.

Obama is outspending the joint ad efforts of the Republican Party and the McCain campaign by more than 2-1.

Palin, who held a rally Wednesday in New Hampshire, will try to generate support in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District Thursday with the hope Republicans can peel away one electoral vote – or perhaps win the whole state.

Maine is one of only two states that splits its electoral votes by congressional district, and the 2nd District is generally considered more conservative.

“It seems to me that the McCain campaign has bigger worries than trying to win one, or even four, electoral votes in Maine,” Brewer said.