Sen. John McCain beat back a primary challenge Tuesday from a Republican tea party activist to win the right to seek a sixth term in November in a race that has been inundated with questions about GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.
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 vowed to not take the primary for granted, and he campaigned hard until the end.
Ans he wasn’t the only one with a successful campaign.
Republican Sen. Marco Rubio’s presidential aspirations and insistence that he was done with the Senate didn’t hurt him with GOP voters, now it’s time to see if the rest of Florida will be as forgiving as he seeks a second term.
Rubio easily won the Republican nomination to retain his seat and will be challenged by Democratic U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, who defeated Congressman Alan Grayson in Tuesday’s Senate primary. It’s a race Democrats are targeting in an effort to regain a majority in the Senate, and their hope is that Rubio’s presidential ambitions have dulled the shine he had with Florida voters.
Rubio and Murphy have already been giving a preview of the general election match up, with each candidate focusing on each other rather than their primary opponents in the weeks leading up to the nominating contest.
Murphy says Rubio cares more about political ambition than voters and can’t even commit to serving all six years in the Senate if he wins, and Rubio says Murphy is a privileged son of a wealthy man who has lied about his education, work experience and starting a small business.
“He’s going to have to account for his four years in Congress, where he was ranked by a non-partisan group as one of the most ineffective members,” Rubio said after winning. “That’s a hard thing to achieve in a Congress that’s been as ineffective as this one has been over the last 10 years.”
Murphy also immediately attacked Rubio after his victory.
“Senator Rubio is trying to distract from his terrible record. Here’s a guy who has missed more votes than any senator from Florida in nearly 50 years. He told us he doesn’t like the job and just yesterday he told us he said he won’t commit to a six-year term,” Murphy said.
There is evidence that the presidential run has taken a toll on Rubio. A Quinnipiac University poll taken before he announced his presidential campaign showed a 54 percent job approval with voters, compared to 35 percent disapproval. After he announced he’d seek a second Senate term, those numbers dipped to 46 percent approval and 43 percent disapproval.
But the drama surrounding the presidential primaries didn’t effect Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who resigned last month as Democratic National Committee chairwoman. She fended off the first serious challenge she’s faced since winning office in 2004 by beating Tim Canova, a Bernie Sanders-backed law professor.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Makes me sick. These RINOS should have been voted Out!!!! And wasserman ???
I do think the polls are rigged. This is so disturbing. Unfrigginbelievable. The old effer McCain needs to go away, along with that little weazel Marco. And wasserman?? gaggggggg.
Mccain is the reason we have the idiot we have in the White House. They are all sick filthy rats. McCain and Jane Fonda are chummy. Bunch of Commies
So any time you loose it fixed. The reason McCain lost was Sara and bad program.
McCain/Wasserman—what a pair. Hope they are defeated come this election cycle.
Larry McNames
Unfortunately, IF McCain is defeated- he will be defeated by a democrat.
The republicans sure screwed up yesterday. Unless, of course, the polls were rigged. I can’t believe this POS McCain won. But then again, so many Arizonans just keep checking the box for the same old name. Don’t have a damn clue who they are voting for and why. Brain dead voters.
Wasserman. ???? More brain dead,blind, deaf, liberal voters.
And Rubio???? Must be that the only ones that voted yesterday in Miami are Cubans. Legal and or NOT
Thank God that people who have served well are valued by the people of Arizona and Florida.. I pray for them both to let the past go, and work with our Republican candidate for a better future for all Americans.
The road to victory may be rough for all three of these candidates.
At some point age becomes an issue for elderly statesmen like John McCain.
Marco Rubio’s opponent raises a valid concern. People want their representatives to be in Washington doing their job rather than going around the country looking for a new job. Marco needs to tell the voters that he will not seek the presidency in 2020, or the voters may free up his time.
Hopefully Debbie Shultz will be defeated in November. Her actions with the Democrat National Committee shows she is incapable of acting in a fair manner will called upon to do so.
Term limits please! No more career politicians ever. That is why things are so messed up now!