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PHOENIX – A judge has blocked the most controversial sections of Arizona's new immigration law from taking effect Thursday, handing a major legal victory to opponents of the crackdown. The law will still take effect Thursday, but without many of the provisions that angered opponents — including sections that required officers to check a person's immigration status while enforcing other laws.

Arizona Sen. John McCain has spent more than $16 million -- including $10 million in the last three months alone -- on his primary challenge from former Rep. J.D Hayworth, a massive sum indicative of the seriousness with which the 2008 presidential nominee is taking the race. From April 1 to June 30 McCain not only spent $10.1 million but raised $7.4 million, bringing his totals for the race to almost $18 million raised -- half of which came in the form of transfers from other committees affiliated with the Arizona Senator -- and $16 million spent. Hayworth, by contrast,...

JD Hayworth, a barnstorming Arizona Republican who is campaigning for the Senate, has strong opinions about his state's new law on illegal immigration. The law, known as SB1070 and due to come into effect this week, requires police to arrest suspected illegal immigrants and makes it a crime not to have valid immigration papers on your person. It has prompted Hispanics to fear racial profiling, immigrants to flee the state in droves, activists to organise consumer boycotts and the Obama administration to sue in federal court. Hayworth has an objection, too. He thinks the law is not enough. Speaking to...

The campaign of U.S. Senate Candidate J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ) today distributed to 300,000 Arizona voters a web-based advertisement highlighting Sen. John McCain's bait-and-switch campaign finance trickery. McCain transferred $4.65 million from his failed and lackluster 2008 Presidential campaign to his current campaign for re-election to the U.S. Senate. That money was given to McCain while he was trying to defeat a liberal Democrat for President, but instead he saved it to run against a conservative Republican for Senate. Meanwhile, a separate organization is instructing McCain contributors how to get their 2008 contributions refunded. To go to organization's website, CLICK HERE.Click...

"John McCain wants us to now believe, in his own words, that he was never for amnesty," JD Hayworth said. "But the truth is in this ad. John was for amnesty yesterday, today and will be for it tomorrow." Hayworth said voters who support SB 1070 and oppose amnesty for illegal aliens have an opportunity to make their voices heard on Aug 24th in the Republican Primary by voting for him. McCain said, "I helped author with Senator Kennedy comprehensive immigration reform and fought for it twice." Similarly, Obama said, "I stood with Ted Kennedy and John McCain and took...

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) spent more than $10M on his primary battle against ex-Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R), according to his 2ndQ campaign finance report, leaving him with a much narrower financial advantage in the GOP primary than he once enjoyed. McCain has spent a total of $15.7M this cycle, according to FEC reports, and he has just $1.78M left to spend before the Aug. 24 GOP primary. Hayworth had $922K in the bank, his reports showed. "Senator McCain takes every campaign seriously, and this race is no exception. Senator McCain is proud of the statewide support he's received from Arizonans,...

Arizona Senate candidate J.D. Hayworth (R) launched his most aggressive attack of the primary campaign against Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) Friday. The former congressman released his second TV ad of the race, which accuses McCain of supporting an “amnesty bill” for undocumented U.S. residents. The ad features footage of McCain and President Obama talking about the effort to get immigration reform through the Senate. “I helped author with Senator Kennedy comprehensive immigration reform and fought for it twice,” McCain says in the footage. It then transitions to Obama saying, “I stood with Ted Kennedy and John McCain and took on...

McCain and Hayworth faced off in two debates over the weekend. On July 17, 2010 in Tucson, Arizona a debate hosted by KUAT PBS-6 was intended to be a debate on the issues facing Arizona. But at every opportunity, McCain threw out personal attacks on J.D., including calling him a "pig." This is a far different McCain than the one who debated and campaigned against Obama - and a far cry from what you would expect from a statesman. The reality is, McCain has been attacking J.D. with negative advertisements since before J.D. even entered the race. McCain has spent...

McCain calls Hayworth a "pig." He desperately defends his flip-flops and record of voting for the billion dollar pork TARP bailouts which included $150 billion in earmarks, co-sponsoring amnesty with Ted Kennedy and cap and trade legislation with Joe Lieberman, and voting against tax cuts twice. Hayworth easily proves that he is much more conservative than McCain on the very things McCain has been attacking him on - pork and earmarks.  In their second, and likely final, Senate primary debate, JD Hayworth again easily defeated John McCain. McCain avoided discussing real issues, where he has a record of flip-flopping in...

McCain calls Hayworth a "pig." He desperately defends his flip-flops and record of voting for the billion dollar pork TARP bailouts which included $150 billion in earmarks, co-sponsoring amnesty with Ted Kennedy and cap and trade legislation with Joe Lieberman, and voting against tax cuts twice. Hayworth easily proves that he is much more conservative than McCain on the very things McCain has been attacking him on – pork and earmarks. In their second, and likely final, Senate primary debate, JD Hayworth again easily defeated John McCain. McCain avoided discussing real issues, where he has a record of flip-flopping in...

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...

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...

TUCSON, Ariz. – Fighting the last war is supposed to be a bad idea. For Sen. John McCain, it might end up being the path to reelection. As he faces a smashmouth Republican primary challenge in the shape of former congressman and radio talk show host J.D. Hayworth, McCain seems to be reliving his 2008 campaign experience--competing with a younger, more charismatic opponent whom he transparently does not like. He’s even still dodging criticism about an aimless and dull presidential campaign. And listening to McCain himself, it’s sometimes hard to tell that he’s not literally still running against Barack Obama.At...

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...

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?

Tonight, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will debate his primary challengers, former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ) and conservative "tea party" activist Jim Deakin in one of only two Republican primary debates. During the one hour debate, Hayworth will likely concentrate on McCain's 28 years in Congress with a focus on his position on immigration. Deakin said he will compare and contrast his approach in representing constituents to the "other two entrenched politicians." A McCain campaign spokesman said that the Senator "looks forward to a spirited discussion on the issues facing Arizonans." The LIVE debate will take place tonight at KTVK-TV...

PHOENIX -- On Friday, July 16, Sen. John McCain, former U.S. Congressman J.D. Hayworth and conservative hopeful Jim Deakin will face off. The three candidates are vying for the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by McCain. The debate will take place at KTVK-3TV Studios in Phoenix at 7 p.m and will be simulcast on KTTU in Tucson and azfamily.com. Azfamily.com will also host another live forum giving viewers the opportunity to share their comments and thoughts on the debate in real time as the debate is going on. Another debate is scheduled for July 21 in...

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...

Arizona Sen. John McCain has a message for illegal residents of his state: Go back where you came from. McCain, who has been veering right to try and win his Republican Senate primary against conservative former Rep. J.D. Hayworth, said on Tuesday that he supports immigration reform that would deport those living in the country illegally. "No amnesty. Many of them need to be sent back," McCain said during an interview on KQTH-FM in Tucson, Ariz. when describing how he would deal with illegal U.S. residents. McCain said he supported reform that would create a guest worker program, but was...