John McCain wasted little time following his rousing acceptance speech Thursday night, immediately flying to Wisconsin where he’ll kick off his “Change Is Coming” campaign Friday morning with running mate Sarah Palin at his side.

Democratic opponent Barack Obama, meanwhile, is spending the first day of the Campaign ‘08 stretch run in Pennsylvania, before joining rock star Jon Bon Jovi for a fundraiser in New Jersey.

McCain closed out the Republican National Convention Thursday night by urging voters to “fight with me,” as his supporters touted his candidacy.

“You all know, I’ve been called a maverick, someone who marches to the beat of his own drum,” McCain said.

“Sometimes it’s meant as a compliment and sometimes it’s not. What it really means is I understand who I work for. I don’t work for a party. I don’t work for a special interest. I don’t work for myself. I work for you.”

In a speech that stressed his military service as well as his reputation as a maverick, the Arizona senator called for an end to the “constant partisan rancor” he says has crippled the federal government.

In sounding the “Change Is Coming” message in their acceptance speeches, McCain and Palin squarely positioned the Republican ticket to meet head-on the Obama campaign’s theme of “change.”

Palin, the first-term Alaska governor, told the convention crowd Wednesday night that McCain has used his career to “promote change,” instead of using change to promote his career.

FULL ARTICLE: Change is coming (FOXNEWS)