Pretty sure I wanted McCain to stay in the race. That thing was passing whether he was there or not. He could’ve stayed in contact with staff in DC if there was anything needing “managing” and detoured for a day to make the vote. If he “had” to be there for two weeks, he was not running a serious campaign. It was an excuse to take a vacation from winning hearts and minds.
Whatever choice he would have made, the media would have attacked him. They attacked him for suspending his campaign. Had he been a Democrat, they would have praised him for returning to D.C.