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PHOENIX - Former U.S. Rep. J.D. Hayworth had a much-needed opportunity Friday night to refocus Arizona's Republican Senate primary on incumbent John McCain, and he came out swinging. McCain, Hayworth and political newcomer Jim Deakin squared off Friday in the first of two televised debates before Arizona's Aug. 24 Republican primary. "It's really sad to see John McCain, who should be revered as a statesman, basically reduced to a political shape-shifter," he said, then turned to his opponent. "John, you've changed positions so much in this campaign maybe we'll have to set up an extra podium for you depending on...

Former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.) said Sunday that the Obama administration supports “no enforcement” of immigration law as he defended Arizona’s controversial statute that gives police new powers to question people they suspect are in the country illegally. The Justice Department is suing to block the statute, claiming it illegally preempts federal law. “It should come as no surprise that any number of people who advocate open borders and advocate no enforcement of the law, including this current administration, are trying to throw up these roadblocks,” Hayworth said on the CBS program “Face the Nation.” Hayworth is challenging Sen. John...

Saturday, July 17, 2010, 7:00PM PDT - PBS-6 Tucson, Simulcast on Cox-88 Phoenix. Simulcast on radio NPR KUAZ 89.1FM/1550AM in Tucson, 91.7FM in Sierra Vista. Rebroadcast in Phoenix on PBS-8 at 11:00PM PDT Streamed via worldwide web at AZpublicmedia.org - - - - Debate Watching Party in Tucson! Pima County GOP Debate Watching Party at O'Malley's Back Room in Tucson ******J.D. will be joining the GOP party after the debates!******

It was apparent last night why McCain has only agreed to participate in two Senate debates with JD Hayworth, because of the awkwardness attempting to explain his flip-flopping back to the right now that it is an election year. Both debates between the two candidates are taking place well into the primary, after McCain has had months to spend $6 million in smear attack ads against JD. $5 million of that was leftover from prior campaigning, including $1.1 million from convicted Ponzi scheme criminal Scott Rothstein - the top contributor to two of his 2008 presidential campaign funds. Unlike other...

Arizona Senate candidates Senator John McCain, former Representative J.D. Hayworth, and Jim Deakin debated various issues.

O.K., I've tried all morning to get the pulse of last night's Arizona GOP Senate Debate, with little success. Found one article but "copyright complaints" prevented me from posting it here. I checked C-Span's website. Doesn't seem to be any re-runs today or tonight. So, Freepers, from what you've seen, heard and read, who won last night's debate? From what I gathered, Deakin fumbled badly; especially in his closing remarks. Sounds like J.D. got some good shots at McCain's hypocrisy. But.... I dunno. Comments anyone?

PHOENIX - By the time the U.S. Senate Republican candidates completed the first question in a live televised debate Friday night, J.D. Hayworth had already blasted incumbent Sen. John McCain for supporting "amnesty" and McCain had mocked Hayworth for his role in a late-night infomercial. The fast and furious debate in Phoenix also featured tea-party activist Jim Deakin, who said both of his opponents had failed to adhere to a strict reading of the Constitution and both failed to secure the U.S. borders. The primary election is Aug. 24. With Hayworth lagging in polls and peppered seemingly nightly by ads...

From CNN: Sen. John McCain is widely ahead of his two primary challengers, according to a new poll.A Behavior Research Center survey released Thursday indicates that 64 percent of likely Arizona Republican primary voters support McCain, with19 percent backing former Rep. J.D. Hayworth, five percent supporting Jim Deakin, a Tea Party activist, and 12 percent undecided. The primary is scheduled for August 24. Why such a gap? "The simple reality is that McCain took his (Hayworth's) border and SB 1070 issue away from him, and then nailed him on ethics issues pertaining to being a lobbyist and so on," said...

A new poll shows Arizona Sen. John McCain widening his lead over his Republican challenger ahead of next month's GOP primary. The Rocky Mountain Poll released Wednesday shows McCain leading former U.S. Rep. J.D. Hayworth 64 percent to 19 percent. Political newcomer Jim Deakin had 5 percent. McCain's margin has widened from a 54 percent to 28 percent lead he held over Hayworth in the same poll in April. The telephone poll was conducted by the Behavior Research Center between June 30 and July 11 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 5.4 percentage points. Pollsters surveyed...

In the spring of 2009, Nevada senator Harry Reid approached John McCain with a message, ostensibly from President Barack Obama. “If you put an immigration bill in, we’ll get behind it,” Reid told McCain, according to a person briefed on the conversation. McCain, who’d failed to pass an immigration bill co-sponsored with Ted Kennedy in 2007, and was roundly whipped by his own party for the attempt, was infuriated by the offer. “Me, put a bill in and he’ll get behind it?” McCain asked. “Why doesn’t the president put a bill in and I’ll get behind it?”

The Republican 'maverick' bends in the wind of Tea Party-style politicsWhen does being a maverick turn into a shameless flip-flopper? Pretty much about now, according to many observers of the long and storied political career of former Republican presidential candidate John McCain.Senator McCain, pictured, is now caught in one of the toughest political fights of his life, facing off in a primary fight against the Tea Party-style challenger JD Hayworth. And he is doing it in Arizona, which has just passed a strict anti-illegal immigrant law so controversial the White House is taking it to court.All this means that McCain's...

Shameless is the best way to describe Democrat Rep. John Hall “who takes a whack” at his Republican opponent Nan Hayworth (Congressional District 19) in this video advertisement that accuses Hayworth of being an apologist for BP. What did Hayworth do to warrant this charge? She set forth a position at her campaign website regarding energy exploration on land and sea using the best, environmentally sound technology, and (all of a sudden) according to Hall, she is a cheerleader for BP. BP is the British owned energy company that suffered a fatal explosion on or about April 22, causing an...

An email from the Hayworth campaign today featured his first TV advertisement featuring his wife Mary Hayworth. She hits McCain pretty good, and truthfully, mentioning how he's sold out Arizona on immigration, bailouts and tax increases. And, she hits McCain pretty hard for his negative ads directed at JD for the past few months.

First, it was Sarah Palin. Then it was Arizona Right to Life and the National Rifle Association. Most recently, the revered National Review gave its imprimatur to McCain. When Hayworth entered the race in January, McCain was at his most vulnerable point in decades. Polling showed McCain had a lead within the margin of error and was struggling to redefine himself as a Republican loyalist. But polls now show McCain with a solid lead. Baker said the McCain campaign may have engineered a sort of domino effect: Each endorsement shows the next group that backing McCain is a safer bet...

It’s been over a month since President Barack Obama called Arizona's new immigration law "misguided" and during a news conference Thursday, he gave American's several reasons why. "Our laws should respect the families following the rules instead of splitting them a part," Obama said. The president not only ruled out mass deportations, but provided an outline for what his plan for comprehensive immigration reform would look like. "We have to demand responsibility for people living here illegally. They must be required to admit they broke the law, they should be required to register, pay their taxes, pay a fine and...

I haven’t been keeping score, but my sense has been that National Review stays out of Republican congressional primary races, at least most of the time. This is a good thing. It reflects an ethos focused on the strategic direction of the conservative movement rather than tactical politics. It underscores that issues are more critical to us than personalities. As a practical matter, moreover, it avoids diminishing the magazine’s prestige. A candidate who wins despite NR’s endorsement of his opponent could become hostile — and less open to our ideas — especially because he knows NR’s endorsement of the other...

haven’t been keeping score, but my sense has been that National Review stays out of Republican congressional primary races, at least most of the time. This is a good thing. It reflects an ethos focused on the strategic direction of the conservative movement rather than tactical politics. It underscores that issues are more critical to us than personalities. As a practical matter, moreover, it avoids diminishing the magazine’s prestige. A candidate who wins despite NR’s endorsement of his opponent could become hostile — and less open to our ideas — especially because he knows NR’s endorsement of the other guy...

Matthew Lesko and Miss Cleo make appearances in John McCain's latest Web video poking fun at his Republican challenger's role as an infomercial pitchman. McCain's re-election campaign on Tuesday released the video featuring half-famous stars from late-night television. The video also recalls a handful of gaffes that have put J.D. Hayworth in an uncomfortable spotlight. The ad follows the revelation last week that Hayworth filmed a 2007 infomercial pitching the services of a Florida company accused of taking advantage of its customers. Hayworth says he didn't properly research the company. His campaign on Monday released three videos of Hayworth addressing...

What has happened to National Review? The magazine started by William F. Buckley that once stood for conservative libertarian principles has gone out of its way twice now to endorse liberal Republican John McCain for Senate in the Republican primary over the very conservative JD Hayworth. Hayworth has a lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union of 98% over his 12 years in Congress; the same lifetime rating as the most conservative Senator in Congress, Jim DeMint. McCain has an 81% lifetime rating. JD clearly comes from the conservative wing of the Republican Party, McCain comes from the liberal wing....