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Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Tuesday he will not support Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) in his Senate race if he runs as an Independent. Crist, who helped McCain win Florida in the 2008 presidential GOP primary, has recently indicated he is mulling an Independent bid. McCain has backed Crist, but made it clear Tuesday that his endorsement will not stand if Crist is not the Republican candidate. Asked if he will support Crist as an Independent, McCain told The Hill, "No." Pressed further, McCain said, "I support Republicans."

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said he wasn't picking sides between "maverick" and "partisan" in response to his primary fight against former Rep. J.D. Hayworth. When asked on "Fox News Sunday" whether he'd gone from his maverick stance toward a position further on the right, McCain said, "Now that I'm fighting against this administration... then I'm a partisan. But I'm a fighter and that's what I am." "...I prefer 'great American' myself," the 2008 presidential candidate quipped. McCain said he passed the "litmus test" of being a true conservative over Hayworth because of his opposition to earmarks and pork-barrel spending. "I...

As we reported earlier, Senate hopeful J.D. Hayworth released his much-anticipated list of donors to his Freedom in Truth trust -- something John McCain has been requesting for months -- but the McCain campaign says the list only contains half of the information it requested. "We appreciate the fact that after 45 days and constant pressure, Congressman Hayworth has finally taken one step toward disclosing the activities of his FIT Trust," says McCain campaign spokesman Brian Rogers. "However, Congressman Hayworth has only revealed half of the pertinent information -- the money coming into the trust, but not the money going...

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Republican Senator John McCain, whose "maverick" breaks with his party won him media acclaim and powered his 2008 White House run, now rejects the moniker, according to Newsweek magazine. The Arizona lawmaker, looking to thwart a primary challenge from a conservative Republican former congressman, played down his history of working with Democrats on issues like overhauling US immigration policy, curbing big money influence in politics, or fighting climate change. "I never considered myself a maverick," Newsweek quoted him as saying. "I consider myself a person who serves the people of Arizona to the best of his abilities."

(snip) PHOENIX, AZ – U.S. Senator John McCain’s re-election campaign today issued the following statement from campaign Communications Director Brian Rogers on former Congressman J.D. Hayworth entering the Republican primary this morning: “Senator John McCain has full confidence that the people of Arizona will again return him to the U.S. Senate this year and will work hard to earn their continued support. Senator McCain understands that to earn the votes of hardworking Arizonans, you first have to respect them by telling the truth. Former Congressman Hayworth obviously disagrees, and it was sad to see him use blatant lies and fabrications...

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(CNN) – A health care policy adviser for the McCain campaign told a newspaper reporter that nobody in the United States is technically uninsured, because everyone has access to hospital emergency rooms. "So I have a solution [to the health care crisis]. And it will cost not one thin dime," John Goodman, president of the National Center for Policy Analysis, told the Dallas Morning News in an interview published Thursday.