Posted on 02/15/2010 12:32:01 PM PST by SandRat
Capitol Media Services photo by Howard Fischer
J.D. Hayworth gets the endorsement Monday of Chris Simcox, one of the founders of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. Simcox shelved his own bid to oust incumbent John McCain in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, a move that could give a boost to Hayworth. Behind them is Rob Haney, chairman of the Maricopa County Republican Party.
PHOENIX — With a blast at what he called John McCain's liberal leanings, former Congressman J.D. Hayworth launched his bid to oust the four-term incumbent in the Republican primary.
At an event outside his Phoenix headquarters Monday, Hayworth hurled broadsides at the senator, saying McCain is on the wrong side of all the issues important to GOP conservatives. That includes the incumbent's call to close the prison for enemy combatants at Guantanamo, his support for some sort of cap-and-trade system of cutting pollution, his vote for the Troubled Asset Relief Program to help bail out financial institutions and his efforts to limit campaign spending.
That's not all.
"Just like the liberals, John opposes waterboarding captured terrorists like the Christmas bomber,'' he said.
And if that weren't enough, he uttered the dreaded H-word.
"John's problem is not that he likes Hillary (Clinton),'' Hayworth said. "John's problem is he's like Hillary.''
His bid got an immediate boost Monday when Chris Simcox shelved his own Republican campaign against McCain to throw his support behind Hayworth. Simcox, a founder of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, said his supporters told him the move was necessary to have a united conservative front.
The race shapes up to be one of the most contested -- and potentially divisive -- intraparty campaigns in Arizona history.
McCain, hoping to shore up support for his nomination and election, set off this week on appearances around the state. That began Monday with a press conference in Tempe to announce his endorsement by 31 mayors from around the state. He also scheduled appearances this week in Thatcher, Flagstaff, Yuma, Phoenix, Tucson and Payson.
While McCain seeks bipartisan support, Hayworth pokes fun at the incumbent's working with Democrats. Instead, Hayworth, who served 12 years in Congress before being defeated in 2006 by Democrat Harry Mitchell, is making a clear bid for the backing of those who identify themselves as part of the Tea Party movement.
While that may work in a Republican party, it remains unclear how that plays out in a statewide general election.
In 2002 and again in 2006 Republicans chose those who identified themselves as conservatives to run for governor. Democrat Janet Napolitano won both times.
Those same years the Republican candidates for attorney general came from the GOP's conservative wing. The result was victories for Democrat Terry Goddard.
But Hayworth told Capitol Media Services he doesn't foresee his nomination as giving a political leg-up to Rodney Glassman, a Democratic city councilman from Tucson.
"This is an entirely different campaign and an entirely different year,'' he said. Hayworth said while his focus now is corralling Republican votes, "in the fullness of time we're reaching out to independents and to disaffected Democrats.''
He said the political climate has changed since then.
"The political wind is at our back,'' Hayworth said. "People recognize that the change they need is conservative change, not someone who's going to go there, as Mr. Glassman would, and be a rubber stamp for Barack Obama.''
Nor did he believe that a brutal primary battle would leave whoever survives too politically scarred to win in November. That's what happened in the 1970s when two GOP congressmen, John Conlan and Sam Steiger, battled it out, with Democrat Dennis DeConcini from Tucson snatching the seat in November.
"I believe that a good, old-fashioned primary is a good thing for the party,'' Hayworth said. "It will help both John and I prepare for the general.''
Hayworth was careful to thank McCain, a former prisoner of war, for his military service, and even admitted campaigning for the senator during his failed 2000 presidential bid.
"He still fights hard, all right," Hayworth said. "But too often, for the wrong causes.''
Hi! If you have a Hayworth ping list, please put me on it!
I love it!
“John’s problem is not that he likes Hillary (Clinton),’’ Hayworth said. “John’s problem is he’s like Hillary.’’
“Houston, I think McCain’s got a problem.”
“John’s problem is not that he likes Hillary (Clinton),’’ Hayworth said. “John’s problem is he’s like Hillary.’’
Gosh darn it, I fee so dividied!
NO I don't...
McCain has never gone negative against his democrat opponents, but he went negative against JD before JD was even a candidate. That tells you what kind of man McCain is. He stabs his own in the back while groveling at the feet of the enemy.
Absolutely correct. I've been saying this on various threads since her "endorsement" of McCain and have been called everything but "white" because of it.
Time for Palin to throw McCain under the bus to advance conservatism in America.
“She was his running mate, and couldn’t have done anything else. To have rejected him and supported Hayworth would have been regarded as mean-spirited and petty.”
Sticking to your principles and doing what is in the best interest of the country is never “mean-spirited and petty”.
Agreed
McCain isn’t a conservative and everyone knows it. Sarah has thus far remained loyal to her conservative principles. It must be a tough position to be in. No matter what she does, she’s bound to piss off a lot of people. Better to be the Rats and Rinos who hate her anyway.
She owes McCain nothing IMO. His people treated her like crap during and after the campaign and he allowed it.
She’ll be a hero with the grassroots conservatives and Tea Party folks if she fights for her beliefs and stands firm against the likes of McCain and others like him.
I for one, will be very disappointed if she chooses to do otherwise.
It’s going to be the Republican establishment against the people. Ron Paul energized a lot of people here who now are Precinct Committeemen, etc. and there is definitely animosity from the incumbent state party RINOs who just may lose their positions. Juan McCain must be scared - he is already running ugly attack ads against JD.
As another post said, this is THE battle between the Tea Party movement and the RINOs. We can use all the help we can get here.
Truer words have ne'er been spoken!
Note to McCain’s handlers.
Dear John, your friends are leaving, replaced by a new breed of senators. You may find yourself looking all the part of Robert Byrd if you remain. If you bow out for the sake of the party, and retire before you lose in the primary, you are destined to be the media’s darling and make a fortune as an insider.
Will you think about it?
is ROAST RINO on TOAST.
Well, JD hasn’t brought in much money today, but we can still scare the heck out of McCain by going here and voting for JD.........I just voted and JD is well ahead of McCain.
http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/
Hope all of you will go vote here.
Darn! The only poll I saw was one about adopting in AZ!
I think this is going to be a very interesting race! He’ll
get name recognition before long!
People in AZ think McPain is as essential to their well-being as the WV people think of Robert C. Byrd and Jay Rockefeller.
All true, but the people of AZ don’t believe such truth.
Can’t help those who want to be ignorant.
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