Marco Rubio, who just a few months ago vowed to quit politics, managed to hold on to his seat – though it may have been a bittersweet victory, given reports past year that Rubio “hates” working as a senator.
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U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks outside a polling station after voting, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Phoenix.
John McCain managed to overcome his primary challenger, doctor and former state senator Kelli Ward, Tuesday in the race to retain the nomination and hold onto his seat in November.
Not a single senator of either party has lost a primary this year. Additionally, McCain has been among those Republicans who has been most critical of Presidential nominee Donald Trump, although he has said publicly that he supports the party nominee. Rubio and McCain are extremely well-known with their own brands distinct from Trump’s, but the mogul’s effect on their candidacies remains unpredictable in states with large numbers of Hispanics, many of whom Trump has alienated with his comments about Mexicans and his hard line on immigration.
“I don’t believe in what Trump says about sending them all home – all the illegal immigrants – but I don’t think an open border is the answer”, Martinetti said. The Republican said McCain continues to have his support.
Ward has been mainly ignored by McCain, who is looking to November when he faces off against a well-funded Democrat in Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick – if he wins Tuesday’s primary election. John McCain, R-Ariz., left, greets supporters after being declared the victor in the Arizona Republican primary Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Phoenix. Debbie Wasserman Schultz beat college professor Tim Canova, garnering 57 percent with 99 percent of precincts reporting.
Rubio, 45, was a rising Republican star whose presidential bid fizzled in March when Trump, a brash billionaire real estate mogul, thrashed him in the Florida primary.
“My opponent, Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, is a good person”. Painted as the evil villain and mastermind that locked the endorsement up for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton – and who supporters claim blocked Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders from the nomination every step of the way – Berniacs were eager to take her down and replace her with a Sanders-backed candidate as payback. He repeatedly avoided calling Trump by name, instead saying he’ll support his party’s nominee.
The 2008 GOP presidential nominee easily defeated former state Sen.
Former state Senator Kelli Ward visits the KJZZ studios ahead of her GOP Primary election race against U.S. Senator John McCain on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016.
She criticized Ward’s attack on McCain’s age as “desperate”.
Rubio had announced his intention to retire from the Senate until GOP leaders led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky lured him into running for re-election in June. It’s a change from past elections, most notably in 2010 and 2012, when flawed GOP candidates won primaries in states like Missouri and DE, only to cost the party in November.
A super PAC backing McCain, Arizona Grassroots Action PAC, poured almost $2.7 million into the primary.
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Republicans have a 54-46 seat majority in the Senate.
