Arizona – U.S. Sen. John McCain beat back a primary challenge Tuesday from a Republican tea party activist to win the right to seek a sixth Senate term in November in a race that has been inundated with questions about GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.
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The 2008 GOP presidential nominee easily defeated former state Sen. Kelli Ward and two other Republicans.
He faces a tough Democratic challenge in the November general election from U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick. She advanced Tuesday after facing only a write-in opponent in the primary.
McCain, who turned 80 on Monday, had been campaigning hard, rallying campaign workers and making get-out-the-vote stops in keeping his vow not to take the primary for granted.
“I’m humbled by and grateful for our success tonight and for the honor to be the Arizona Republican Party’s nominee for election to the United States Senate,” McCain said in prepared remarks.
Ward had been mainly ignored by McCain, but she got national attention by saying in recent interviews that the senator would be unable to complete another six-year term because of his age.
Ward cast the race as a David and Goliath battle.
“I thought we ran an amazing race like had never been seen against an entrenched career politician,” Ward told The Associated Press. “Of course I would have rather we won. I think it would have been better for Arizona, better for America and better for the world. But we did what we could with very limited resources and it’s been amazing.”
The contest between Ward and McCain was often overshadowed by Trump and his outspoken comments.
Trump had attacked many issues dear to the Arizona senator, including the family of a fallen soldier, NATO and even McCain’s own military service.
Yet McCain has stuck by his support for Trump, at times seemingly through gritted teeth. He has repeatedly avoided calling Trump by name, instead saying he’ll support his party’s nominee.
McCain is one of two longtime politicians in their 80s who easily won primaries.
I strongly believe that if he didn’t pick that empty headed lady for his running mate, he would have easily won the presidential election.