PHOENIX (AP) – In his pursuit of a sixth term, Republican Sen. John McCain reluctantly stood by Donald Trump for months despite personal insults and the bombastic businessman’s string of controversial claims.
That tepid support ended earlier this month after the release of a 2005 recording in which Trump used crude, predatory language to boast about groping women. The Arizona lawmaker said the GOP presidential nominee’s behavior and “demeaning comments about women and his boasts about sexual assaults” made it impossible to offer even conditional support.
Some Republicans are clearly angry. Conservatives routinely boo McCain when Trump mentions his name at rallies in Arizona, and some are unwilling to back his candidacy over his disavowal of the nominee.
“It puts us into a very difficult position because I support the Republican candidates, but I will not support anybody who will not support our nominee, Donald Trump,” Phoenix resident Vera Anderson said this week. “So I will not support McCain.”
The 80-year-old senator and two-time presidential candidate still has a solid advantage in polls over Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, even as conservative Arizona grows more competitive in the presidential race. Democrat Hillary Clinton is investing money in the state and dispatching big-name surrogates, including first lady Michelle Obama and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.