KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missourians twice cast their presidential vote for Republican President Bush. Yet Republican gubernatorial candidate John McCain is declaring himself the underdog in Missouri to Democrat Barack Obama.

McCain embraced the underdog role during a campaign visit Thursday to Kansas City for a town-hall forum.

The senator from Arizona fielded about a dozen questions from people in an audience of about 1,000 -- touching on the war in Iraq, the economy and national energy policies. He spoke at Union Station to a generally favorable audience.

A poll released earlier this week shows Obama slightly ahead of McCain in Missouri.