[Observator]

Hayworth was a wildly popular true conservative who was leading McCain in all polls. But McCain’s campaign, including the network of his liberal wife, Cindy McCain, reached out to Democrat connections for help. With high probability, $$$ was channeled from Cindy McCain’s vast inheritance (built on depression-era rum running by her gangster father) to Democrats to buy Democrat voters for the GOP primary.

The result was a large turnout of Democrats voting in the GOP primary.

There's only one problem with your theory: Democrats can't vote for Republicans in AZ primaries.

[Hostage]

They switched party registration.

But that left them unable to switch back for the general. But they could care less.

It’s not “theory”, it’s documented fact, posted to FR years ago.