Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., greets supporters Friday at the Freedom Hill County Park in Sterling Heights, Mich.

Sterling Heights, Mich. ? John McCain and Sarah Palin got a rousing welcome Friday to the final two months of the presidential campaign, stressing themes of a strong America and concern about the sinking economy. “Tough times all over America,” McCain said.

Big crowds cheered the Arizona senator and Alaska governor as they made their post-convention debut in Democratic-leaning Wisconsin and Michigan, presenting themselves as a team of reformers eager to challenge Washington’s political establishment.

“John McCain doesn’t run with the Washington herd,” said Palin, the surprise pick as McCain’s running mate.

Twelve hours after leaving the Republican convention in Minnesota, McCain and Palin were cheered and applauded by a throng of thousands that wound down several streets of Cedarburg, Wis., a traditional Republican enclave near Milwaukee.

Later, they appeared before thousands who filled Freedom Hill Amphitheater in Michigan’s Macomb County, home to working-class, union voters whom Republicans hope to win with conservative positions on cultural and social issues.

“These are tough times for many of you, in the state of Michigan,” McCain said. He said many people were worried about keeping their jobs and putting food on the table.

McCain’s campaign as a political outsider and rebel is complicated by the fact that he has served in the Senate for 22 years and solidly endorsed key elements of President Bush’s record, most notably the war in Iraq and hundreds of billions of dollars in tax cuts. McCain originally opposed the tax cuts but changed his mind as he sought the GOP presidential nomination.

McCain took note of gloomy economic news from Washington: The government reported that the nation’s unemployment rate soared to a five-year high of 6.1 percent in August as employers slashed 84,000 jobs.

“Today, the jobs report is another reminder these are tough times,” McCain said. “They’re tough times in Wisconsin, they’re tough times in Ohio, tough times all over America.” He did not say how he would fix the economy.