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WASHINGTON The Maverick’s buck stops here. John McCain is no longer the media’s delight and his party’s burr, bucking convention with infectious relish. The man used to be such a constructive independent that some of his Republican Senate colleagues called him a traitor. Now he’s such a predictable obstructionist that he’s in the just-say-no vanguard with the same conservatives who used to despise him. On Tuesday afternoon on the floor, Senator Mitch McConnell, who contemptuously fought McCain’s campaign finance reform bill all the way to the Supreme Court, oozed admiration toward his Arizona colleague, as McCain did yet another grandstanding...

Former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.) was in D.C. Thursday meeting with supporters of a possible primary challenge to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). Hayworth, who lost his 5th district seat to Rep. Harry Mitchell (D-Ariz.) in 2006, told CQ-Roll Call he was "taking a very, very serious look" at the race but had made no decision. "We're just doing our due diligence," he said. Hayworth was spotted with House Minority Leader John Boehner Thursday but said it was not a scheduled meeting. "I just bumped into John," he explained. He declined to say with whom he formal meetings during his swing...

J.D. Hayworth yesterday took to the airwaves to pummel Grant Woods for filing a complaint with the FEC against the talk show host and potential Senate candidate. Woods alleged Hayworth is pulling in $540,000 a week in corporate in-kind contributions from KFYI/Clear Channel for using his show as a campaign platform. The response came in true talk show form as Hayworth called Woods an “ambulance chaser” who cashed in on a tobacco settlement lawsuit that was sold as a public health measure. “You’re even lower than some bacterial forms of algae, and that’s saying something,” Hayworth said, before chiding Woods...

Declaring that she “was honored and proud to run with him,” former Alaska governor Sarah Palin pushed back hard Wednesday against a report that she had disrespected Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) by blacking out his name on a sun visor she wore on vacation. The website TMZ accused Palin of “a frontal attack on Sen. John McCain” during a Hawaii vacation this week: “Sarah chose to wear a visor from her campaign -- a visor that was emblazoned with the former presidential candidate's name ... that is, until Palin redacted McCain's name with a black marker.” But Palin said in...

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One need look no further than my home state of Arizona to see the result of limp-wristed, nice-guy politicians who have abandoned conservative principles and how they will fare in the current political climate. Senior Sen. and former presidential candidate John McCain is in a battle for his political life as he faces re-election in November 2010. His anticipated competition, a former congressman turned radio talk-show host, J.D. Hayworth, is a mere two points behind McCain in a head-to-head Rasmussen poll for the upcoming primary. It is a statistical dead heat. So much for the power of incumbency. But why?...

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Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R) -- two of conservatives' favorite anti-illegal immigration firebrands and potential 2010 candidates for statewide office in Arizona -- have teamed up to raise more than $100,000 as part of a holiday party being held Dec. 5. A recent poll from Rasmussen Reports showed Arpaio leading all comers in the Arizona governor's race, while Hayworth is in a statistical tie with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in a hypothetical primary match-up. Both men have been coy about their intentions but any sort of electoral alliance between the two would strike fear...

Phoenix -- Arizona politics has been buzzing in the last couple of weeks since a Rasmussen poll suggested that Republican Sen. John McCain might be vulnerable in a primary fight against a more conservative challenger. The poll, released November 20, showed McCain ahead of potential opponent J.D. Hayworth, the radio host and former congressman, by just two points -- a 45 percent to 43 percent margin. Yes, McCain -- the longtime incumbent and recent presidential candidate -- is a mere two points ahead of a challenger who isn't even a challenger yet. I talked to Hayworth recently, and he is...

WASHINGTON - Soon after the Senate opened its long-awaited debate on health care legislation this week, John McCain strode into the chamber to spearhead his party's efforts to reshape the massive bill. He offered Republicans' first amendment and leveled the party's most politically stinging charge--that its cuts in Medicare spending will hurt the elderly. A day later, McCain took the lead in grilling President Obama's team on its newly minted plan for the Afghanistan war. Why, McCain pressed, had the president set a deadline for withdrawing U.S. troops? "A withdrawal date only emboldens al Qaeda and the Taliban," he complained....

Conservative rabble-rousers who think they can scare Sen. John McCain—whom they consider too moderate—into quitting his re-election bid had better back off. Aides say he's running to win, despite polls showing him in a tossup with an undeclared GOP candidate. Spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan slaps down talk that the ex-fighter jock might run from a race: "Anyone who even hints at the notion must be living in a cave."

PHOENIX — The best bet for Republicans to keep the governor’s office would be to choose Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio as the party’s nominee, a new statewide poll shows. According to Rasmussen Reports, a head-to-head race between incumbent Republican Jan Brewer and presumptive Democratic nominee Terry Goddard would result in her ouster. The survey of 1,200 likely voters earlier this month found 44 percent of those asked favor Goddard, currently the state’s attorney general, against 35 percent who said they would vote to give Brewer a term of her own. Also, 9 percent wanted someone else, with the balance...

Former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.) emailed supporters today to say he's considering a primary against John McCain and to ask for funds to pay off his 2006 campaign debt. "You have contacted me with words of encouragement following the release of a Rasmussen Reports Poll which finds me in a statistical dead heat with John McCain for the Republican nomination for the United States Senate in 2010," Hayworth wrote, referring to this poll. "Miss Mary, our children, and I will do a lot of praying and a lot of talking in the days ahead, as we determine the best course...

Former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.) is unlikely to run in a GOP primary against Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), let alone win, Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) said Monday. Kyl, the second-ranking Republican in the Senate, said he expects the former congressman, who's been mulling a primary challenge to McCain's right next year, to carry on his activities as host of a radio show, and not as a candidate.

A new Rasmussen poll shows the Arizona Senator in a dead heat with potential GOP primary challenger J.D. Hayworth. BY ALYSSIA FINLEY John McCain may have been the GOP's national standard-bearer just a year ago, but now he's in electoral trouble at home. And this time no one can claim it's because of Sarah Palin. A new Rasmussen poll shows the Arizona Senator in a dead heat with potential GOP primary challenger J.D. Hayworth. Mr. Hayworth served as a congressman from 1995 to 2006, when he lost in a squeaker to Democratic Tempe Mayor Harry Mitchell, who prevailed by hounding...

PHOENIX -- A new statewide poll suggests John McCain could get a fight in his bid for another term in the U.S. Senate. And it would come from his own party. A telephone survey of 570 likely Republican primary voters conducted by Rasmussen Reports found McCain the favorite of 45 percent of those questioned. But former Congressman and current radio talk show host J.D. Hayworth was backed by 43 percent, well within the 4 percentage point margin of error for the poll. Hayworth told Capitol Media Services late Friday he has not made a decision, saying he is in the...

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Trouble for McCain in 2010? By Tony Romm - 11/20/09 09:21 AM ET A new poll perhaps foretells of a tough primary fight for Arizona Sen. John McCain (R). In a hypothetical match-up against former Rep. J.D. Hayworth, who is reportedly considering a 2010 bid, McCain holds only a two-point lead, besting his potential opponent 45 percent to his 43 percent, according to Rasmussen. That means Hayworth is already polling within the margin of error -- a tough spot for any incumbent to be in, especially one who formerly won his party's presidential nomination. Nevertheless, Rasmussen is quick to point...

John McCain may have been the Republican Party's national standard bearer last year, but now it looks like he may have a hard time just hanging on to his Senate seat. A new Rasmussen Reports poll of likely 2010 GOP primary voters in Arizona finds the longtime incumbent in a virtual tie with potential challenger, J.D. Hayworth. McCain earns 45% of the vote, while Hayworth picks up 43%. Another candidate, anti-illegal immigration activist Chris Simcox, is picking up 4%. Hayworth, 51, a conservative former U.S. congressman who now is a popular radio talk show host in Phoenix, is reportedly interested...

John McCain's problems inside his own party were hardly overcome by his place as its nominee, Rasmussen reports. The new poll shows McCain up just two points, 45% to 43%, in a hypothetical contest with former Rep. J.D. Hayworth, now a popular local radio talker, who's mulling a bid.

Former presidential candidate Sen. John McCain said Thursday he has read Sarah Palin's book and has no regrets about picking her as a running mate. (snip) He also said if Mrs. Palin decides to run for president in 2012 and becomes the Republican Party nominee he would vote for her. "I hope she has every success," Mr. McCain said. "She's still pretty popular."

Sens. Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman have been working overtime to craft a climate bill that can attract significant GOP support. But they aren’t exactly scoring points with their mutual best friend in the Senate, John McCain. “Their start has been horrendous,” McCain said Thursday. “Obviously, they’re going nowhere.” McCain has emerged as a vocal opponent of the climate bill — a major reversal for the self-proclaimed maverick who once made defying his party on global warming a signature issue of his career. (snip) Former aides are mystified by what they see as a retreat on the issue, given McCain’s...

From the 1950s throughout the 1970s, Arizona was synonymous with conservatism. While this hasn’t been the case for decades since, a new group of leaders, together with a new generation of leadership, is quickly restoring Arizona’s prominence within the conservative movement. First and foremost, the new change is led by Arizona’s new governor, Jan Brewer. Brewer is among the most competent chief executives anywhere in the nation and one who is most in touch with the needs of the electorate. The strong record of fairness and achievement that she garnered as a legislator over her 26 years in public service...

The auditorium at Kofa High School was packed to the rafters Thursday night by hundreds of people who wanted to hear what Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) had to say about health care, and the current situation in Afghanistan. After a brief opening statement, members of the audience were eager to field questions and get some answers. "I love to listen. This is my favorite. I would rather be at town hall meetings than at anything else," McCain said. "Listen to them, listen to the people, that's what it is supposed to be all about. I tried to make my remarks...

U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) will hold two town-hall style meetings next week, one of which will be in Yuma. The first meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12, at the Kofa High School Auditorium, located at 3100 South Avenue A. A second meeting will be held the following day, Friday, Nov. 13, at noon at the Mohave County Administration Building's Board of Supervisors Auditorium, located at 700 West Beale Street in Kingman. The purpose of the meetings is to discuss issues affecting Arizonans, including the economy, health care reform, and the war in Afghanistan, according...

Many thanks to Jim Robinson and Hildy who encouraged me to post here. I don't do much blogging or posting other than Facebook so you can go over there to learn more about me and my platform. I am running for the U.S. Senate in Arizona. I will be a primary challenger to John McCain. I am a Constitutional conservative. I need your support in our effort to right the wrongs of how our federal government operates and repeal bad laws, regulations and protect states. Thanks for taking the time to read all this and yes I look forward to...

I have my pro-life credentials. I’ve fought in the trenches, so shut-up. Too many times while in the trenches, Right-to-Life national leaders have been there wiping out our side, handing victory to the pro-aborts. Today, I lament and pray for and with Rep. John Shaddegg (AZ) who knew that if he could have received just a little bit of Right-to-Life’s cooperation, Pelosi’s health care bill would have gone down. Instead, Shaddegg got a Right-to-Life knife in the back. The battle lost in the House over the government health care takeover rests in large part on the shoulders of the national...

(Washington, D.C.) -- Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) predicted on Thursday that there will be a constitutional challenge to the provision in the health care bill under consideration in Congress that would require all Americans to buy health insurance. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the federal government has never before mandated that Americans purchase any good or service. When asked by CNSNews.com on Thursday where in the Constitution is Congress given the authority to mandate that people buy health insurance, McCain said, “That is an excellent question and I’m sure that if they pass health care legislation, I think there...

U.S. Sen. John McCain said Friday that Americans are in the toughest times he can remember and that President Barack Obama hasn't brought the change in Washington that he promised. The Arizona Republican spoke at a town hall Friday to a couple hundred people at Mesa's Central Christian Church, reiterating many of the same arguments he's made in recent similar events. McCain took to the stage with standing ovations and an aim to address key issues affecting Arizonans, such as the economy, health care reform, the war in Afghanistan, among other things.

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Sen. John McCain says Americans are in the toughest times he can remember and that President Barack Obama hasn't brought the change in Washington that he promised. McCain spoke at a town hall Friday to a couple hundred people in a Mesa church, reiterating many of the same points he's made in recent similar events.

Democrats are getting closer to agreeing on a health care reform bill, but there are still town hall meetings held across the country where people can go to voice their opinions on the issue. At times, the meetings have been heated. On October 30 and 31, Senator John McCain will discuss issues affecting Arizonans, including the economy, health care reform, and the war in Afghanistan in Town Hall meetings. Town Hall Meetings: Oct. 30, 2:00 pm Central Christian Church 933 N. Lindsay Rd., Mesa, AZ Oct. 31, 10:00am Skyway Church of the West Valley 14900 W. Van Buren St., Goodyear,...

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Sen. John McCain will hold a town hall on health care from 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Sahuarita school district auditorium, 350 W. Sahuarita Road. Doors open at noon. Parking is available behind the school district administration building, whose driveway is west of the varsity baseball field. Parking also is available off the driveway to the middle school and primary school, which is the first driveway east of Rancho Sahuarita Boulevard. The format and other details will be made available Tuesday, McCain’s office said.

Conservative radio commentator and former Scottsdale congressman J.D. Hayworth is consider a run against U.S. Sen. John McCain in next year’s Republican primary. A source in Arizona who asked not to be identified said Hayworth is pondering the move. The possible challenge also was reported Monday in the Washington Post.

More than 60 percent of Arizona Republicans now believe Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is out of touch with his own party, a new poll finds.

Arizona Senator John McCain was the Republican Party’s presidential nominee in 2008, but he’s always had a challenging relationship with the GOP’s base voters. A new Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey finds that 61% of Arizona Republicans think McCain has lost touch with those in his own party. That’s up eleven points from 50% in May. Only 33% of the Republican faithful in the state believe McCain has done a good job representing GOP values.

Chris Simcox, the co-founder of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, is in D.C. this week — he marched in the “taxpayer march” on 9/12, and he was working radio row at the Federation for American Immigration Reform’s “Hold Their Feet to the Fire” lobbying event. And Simcox, who’s running in the 2010 Arizona Republican primary against Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), told me he expected to kick his campaign into higher gear with Ron Paul-style fundraising organized by Trevor Lyman, the activist who organized Paul’s “moneybombs” during the 2008 presidential campaign. Lyman confirmed the plans, though there are no dates yet...

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As climate change reemerges as an issue in the national policy debate, it may help define the legislative legacies of two men who once vied for the White House: Sens. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.). Both men have championed the issue of global warming for years, including when they served as their party's presidential nominees in 2004 and 2008, respectively. But, for the moment, McCain is barely engaged in the issue beyond criticizing the climate bill passed by the House, while Kerry has emerged as one of the chamber's leading dealmakers. The fact that the two no...

Martin says McCain’s Sunday endorsement of Mark Kirk is an act of infamy that will lead to McCain’s defeat by Arizonans in 2010. “McCain is not all there,” Martin says. “Or if he is all there, there is no ‘there,’ there.’ McCain is an embarrassment to the future of the Republican Party. Perhaps it is not surprising he is in bed with Mark Kirk.” . . . . . August 29, 2009 Senator John McCain United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 via fax (202) 228-2862 Re: Endorsement of Mark Kirk Last than a year ago, I remained a loyal Republican...

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is considering running for a full four-year term in office in 2010. "I'm leaning in that direction, towards running," Brewer told The Arizona Republic. "I know the amount of commitment, the amount of time that it takes." Brewer was serving as secretary of state when then-Gov. Janet Napolitano resigned to become U.S. Homeland Security Secretary in January. The resignation automatically elevated Brewer to the state's top elected office and changed the state's political dynamics because Napolitano is a Democrat and Brewer a Republican. Brewer has been focused on resolving a multibillion-dollar state budget shortfall since taking...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Federal Elections Commission has found that former Gov. Sarah Palin's political action committee gave excessive contributions to two well-known Republicans. The problem is highlighted in a letter sent to SarahPAC treasurer Tim Crawford. Crawford told The Anchorage Daily News that the problem has been fixed. He said SarahPAC has sorted out the $5,000 contributions to Sens. John McCain and Lisa Murkowski, and the campaigns have already refunded $200 each. Crawford blamed the problems on election software used to deal with required disclosures. . . . . . Crawford said SarahPAC has redesignated the $5,000 going...

Phoenix, AZ – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) will hold a town hall to discuss health care reform Tuesday, August 25, 2009 at 11:00 am PT. Immediately following the town hall, Senator McCain will participate in a media availability. WHO: U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ)WHAT: Town hall on health care reform WHEN: Tuesday, August 25, 2009, (ALL TIMES LOCAL) Press check-in - 10:15 am Town hall – 11:00 am Media availability – 12:00 pm WHERE: Grace Bible Church 19280 North 99th Avenue Sun City, AZ 85373 ***Press attending the event should register with Brooke Buchanan at brooke_buchanan@mccain.senate.gov no later than...

28 year old Jesse Kelly of Tucson Ariz., a Republican seeking to boot Democrat Gabrielle Giffords from the U.S. House of Representatives. "If you're not going to get anyone's attention, you might as well not waste your time or money." “I'm tired of President Obama and the liberals who control Congress insulting us, calling us racist, and calling us a mob. I'm tired of their double-talk. I'm tired of their bait-and-switch shell games. I'm tired of being avoided by my public servants. They have forgotten that they work for us. ... “ Ronald Reagan once famously said, "Freedom is never...

KINGMAN - Chris Simcox started his campaign for Senate this year with a Web site, a new suit and a bank balance of zero. Simcox, the founder of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, said he doesn't need millions of dollars to unseat John McCain as senator in 2010. Simcox said he is running a grassroots campaign from the bottom up that would put the power back into "the hands of the people." "I've already lost two campaign managers who've said 'You can't run a campaign this way,'" Simcox said. But Simcox is unapologetic about his distaste for the federal government...

Ex-presidential candidate is siding more closely with GOP these days. BY GREG GIROUX WASHINGTON - He ran for president last year as a “maverick” Republican and had a high-profile meeting with Barack Obama after the election, but Arizona Sen. John McCain has been a staunch Republican vote since failing to win the White House. In fact, McCain is siding with his party this year on closely divided votes with greater frequency than at any other period in his 23-year Senate career, according to a CQ analysis of Senate votes. On votes that pitted most Democrats against most Republicans, McCain has...

With the 2010 elections coming, it is not to soon to develope strategy. I am by no means an expert at creating web content. I was wondering if someone has the ability to put together a bracket board kinda like an NCAA tourney board with the states and who is running for Senate and the House. For example, Harry Reid is up for re-election and is vulnerable. Who are the possible contenders and who is the one that is conservative? This bracket should also include primary races. Maybe even include some of the RAT races where a Republican might not...

If John McCain thought he was running against a young 'un in last year's race against Barack Obama, wait until he sees the guy some Democrats say might take him on next year for the U.S. Senate. There's talk that Tucson City Councilman Rodney Glassman — a 31-year-old hyper-energetic first-term council member — could very well carry the flag for Dems in a race many see as a cinch for ol' Mac. Seems that Glassman, with his eyes on a higher prize than representing Tucson's Ward 2, has two main options before him should he choose to run for statewide...

WASHINGTON (CNN) – With the Senate poised to pass a bill Thursday night expanding the "cash for clunkers" program with an infusion of $2 billion, White House aides say President Obama will quickly sign the bill into law by the end of the week so there's no interruption to the popular incentive this weekend. "He's going to want to make sure the funds are in place by this weekend," one senior White House official noted because of the particularly brisk weekend business the program has sparked. There has been concern the program is so popular it will run out of...