Arizona Senate Race: McCain Holds On For a Sixth Term

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-30-2017

Department

Political Science, International Development, and International Affairs

School

Social Science and Global Studies

Abstract

Republican John McCain was first elected to the U.S. Senate from Arizona in 1986 and was reelected by comfortable margins four more times. He was also the 2008 GOP presidential nominee. However, McCain was perceived as vulnerable after he decided to seek a sixth Senate term in 2016. Some Republicans were upset with his moderate stance on issues such as immigration. Meanwhile, the state’s growing Latino population was seen as a key voting bloc that could permanently reshape Arizona politics and swing the election to a Democrat. U.S. House Representative Ann Kirkpatrick was seen as a rising star in Arizona’s Democratic Party and a strong contender. McCain won the November balloting, defeating Kirkpatrick, and Gary Swing, a Green party candidate.

Publication Title

The Roads to Congress 2016: American Elections in a Divided Landscape

First Page

207

Last Page

220

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