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Though he doesn't agree with McCain's stance on the war, he says he trusts him enough to vote for him. ''He seems to be a thorn in people's side, but in a good way,'' Woods says.

The tough-guy war hero image might not appeal to everyone, though. And some election watchers wonder if McCain's reputation for having a temper might turn off some young voters.

Chelsea Dodd, a 23-year-old Republican in Hoboken, N.J., recently met McCain.

She concedes that he lacks the charisma of Obama, or even Clinton. But, she says, he still ''holds a certain appearance of wisdom.'' So in that sense, she thinks his age works for him.

''While I dislike how he reminds everyone he's a veteran in every speech and that he's not as personable as his rivals, he definitely has involved himself in enough international affairs to be better equipped to deal with them,'' says Dodd, who has family in the military, including a cousin who died in Iraq.

Pounder, McCain's spokesman, says the campaign will grow its ranks of young Republican volunteers as the campaign heats up.

The Obama campaign, too, is continuing its own outreach with a summer ''fellows'' program, enlisting thousands of students to work for the campaign.

''No one should assume that young voters, older voters -- voters of all backgrounds -- are going to side with any one candidate,'' says Steve Hildebrand, Obama's deputy national campaign manager. ''So we certainly don't feel any ownership over young voters.''

It also means they will take nothing for granted, even if Obama has already drawn young primary voters in large, sometimes unprecedented numbers.

Such outcomes have some political pundits wondering if McCain has any real chance of winning over young voters.

''He should not concede these voters, but he can't count on making big headway with them,'' says Steven Schier, a political scientist at Carleton College in Minnesota. He says McCain's age and the overall ''unpopularity of the GOP'' with young voters will be difficult to overcome.

And even some young Republicans are doubtful.

''Frankly, I don't have much faith in the majority of this country's young voters,'' says Laura Loffredo, who's 19 and a member of the Republican Campaign Committee at Babson College in Massachusetts. ''As much as I support McCain for president, unfortunately, I don't believe its very realistic that a significant amount of young voters -- particularly college students -- will be persuaded into rethinking their choice of candidate.''

Time will tell, says Malone at Pace University. But he gives McCain credit for trying.

''You got to hand it to him -- at least at the initial part of his campaign, he has certainly not gone to his base to shore that up,'' Malone says, noting the Arizona senator's recent trips to New Orleans and other struggling regions of the country.

''My sense is that he's going to use the next month or so continuing to appeal to the groups Republicans have written off.''

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