Thread: McCain's Senate Campaign is in Free Fall

kernel (20) - Rasmussen Reports

Incumbent John McCain now earns just 47% support to challenger J.D. Hayworth’s 42% in Arizona’s hotly contested Republican Senate Primary race, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely primary voters.

McCain has been losing ground since January when he picked up 53% of the potential GOP Primary vote and Hayworth had only 31% support. Last month, the longtime senator and 2008 GOP presidential candidate earned 48% of the vote, while 41% of likely primary voters supported his challenger.

John McCain's trumpeted "maverick streak" did little good in 2008, and it could do him more harm than good in the August GOP primary which many pundits see as a mandate for staunch and unwavering conservative principles.

J.D. Hayworth is a conservative talk show host who espouses many controversial viewpoints which take a hard stance against illegal immigration, deficit spending, healthcare reform and same-sex marriage. He has been criticizing John McCain for being too much of a moderate, and I think this is why we've been seeing a much more resilient John McCain in the past few months. Despite prior support for a DADT repeal if such a plan was endorsed by military officials, John McCain has yet to reverse his stance despite a recommendation for repeal by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Michael Mullen. In addition, John McCain issued a press release following the healthcare vote which indicated unwillingness to work with the Democratic Party from here on out.

He's been heavily critical of his opponent, and is attempting to cast him as an extremist with ads such as these:



But will it work? Probably not. McCain is clinging to hope, as is evidenced by his calls on Sarah Palin to campaign for him and an increasing reliance on no-name polls to keep hope alive. The gap between the Senate veteran and Hayworth could very well be inverted by August.

This is so sad. I mean I didn't agree with some of the man's policies but I liked him. He fought and sacrificed for his country but now he has just become this cranky old man. Like the old crotchity uncle nobody wants to sit next to at thanksgiving.

Originally Posted by Churlant

Wait.. that was a real campaign ad from McCain's camp?

Oh how far he's fallen.

In all fairness, some of the ideas espoused by Hayworth are patently ridiculous. McCain's attempt to marginalize those who think that Obama was born outside of the US and equate same-sex marriage to man-horse marriage will likely backfire, but I agree with the premise that people who think this way belong on talk radio and not in public office.

Makes it much, much easier to get a Dem into that office.

Originally Posted by Churlant

Wait.. that was a real campaign ad from McCain's camp?

Oh how far he's fallen.

Oh, no. That ad is awesome. Deeply mocking of Hayworth, yes - but in a really humorous, not mean-spirited way. If McCain's going down, he's clearly going down on his own terms! Once a maverick, always a maverick.

Originally Posted by Churlant

Trust me that just isn't going to happen.

I reckon that the Democrat challenger will have a much better chance at Hayworth, than they would against McCain. In November, after all, we're not talking about primary-election zealots anymore, but some actual normal people. The Republicans are giving the Democrats a sloppy wet kiss, if they put Hayworth up there...!

Originally Posted by Pericles

Once a maverick, always a maverick.

Not according to McCain.