I had a good chat this morning with Rich Magee, chairman of the St. Louis County GOP central committee and the mayor of Glendale, in his law office in Clayton. We talked about a lot of political topics, both locally and nationally.

Magee acknowledged what I’ve heard other Republicans call an “enthusiasm gap” between supporters of Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain. However, he said, McCain backers are getting up to speed. And his advice for skeptical Republicans: “Get onboard.”

Magee also did a little forecasting, suggesting that the biggest question for November in terms of numbers in Missouri will be the turnout in St. Louis County. In dissecting the votes after the primary, we saw that Obama’s primary win came from voters within the 1st Congressional district, particularly those outside St. Louis City.

Magee argued that high turnout this fall in Obama’s territory will be counteracted by strong votes from the more Republican-leaning parts of the county, where turnout is typically always high.

Magee said he believes the No. 1 issue locally is the economy, and he thinks McCain will fare better on matters of taxation and oil drilling. To that end, Magee said he backs a VP pick along the lines of former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney, who would bring biz experience to the McCain ticket.

And lastly, a little video: