McCain appears to hold off GOP primary challengers
PHOENIX — Veteran U.S. Sen. John McCain appears to have once again beat back an insurrection from the Republican Party's right wing as he led his GOP primary foes Kelli Ward and Clair Van Steenwyk in early votes.
The Associated Press called the race for McCain shortly after 8:30 p.m. MST.
McCain, R-Ariz., who is seeking a sixth, six-year Senate term, had been targeted for defeat by conservatives who deem him too liberal on issues such as immigration reform and gun control. But as he did in his 2010 GOP primary, McCain on Tuesday appeared to be outpacing his opponents on the right, leading Ward by a wide margin among early votes in Maricopa County the state’s most-populous County. The state's election results website was not displaying results as of 8:45 p.m.
If he maintains his lead, McCain will face U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., who was unopposed for her party's Senate nomination, in the Nov. 8 general election.
McCain, who turned 80 on Monday, ran a campaign that emphasized his stature as the influential chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and promised to use his experience and seniority to get things done for Arizona. He and his allies who ran a pro-McCain Super PAC also blistered Ward, a former state senator from Lake Havasu City, as naive on foreign policy and too fringe-y to be taken seriously. Ward was dubbed "Chemtrail Kelli" because she hosted an official meeting to hear constituent concerns about "chemtrails," the conspiracy theory that says the government is injecting dangerous chemicals into the air by way of airplane contrails.
For her part, Ward, 47, struggled to raise the amount of money that she needed to be competitive against McCain. The big-spending national Tea Party organizations such as FreedomWorks, the Club for Growth and the Senate Conservatives Fund took a pass on helping Ward, although a pro-Ward Super PAC late in the campaign got a financial boost from Long Island billionaire Robert Mercer, a mega donor associated with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
Ward generated the most national media attention of her race last week when she made a last-minute attack on McCain's age and health. In national interviews, Ward called McCain old and weak and suggested that he might not live to complete a sixth term if he is re-elected. However, most of the reaction to Ward was negative.
Still, growing distrust of McCain, and a sense that he has overstayed his welcome in public office, among many Arizona Republicans gave Ward a big boost.
"Dislike of John McCain" is the main thing that got Republican Neil Kilby, 62, of Phoenix to the polls Tuesday.
"It's time for him to retire and go to Prescott and relax," he said. "I'm disillusioned that he became part of the establishment, a career politician. He's been in office too long. ... He did a good job, but it's time for a change."
Contributing: Kaila White, The Arizona Republic