Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is capitalizing on President Barack Obama's drop in popularity to boost his own campaign for re-election.
"President Obama is leading an extreme left-wing crusade to bankrupt America,'' McCain says in one of the radio ads his campaign is airing, the Chicago Tribune reports. “I stand in his way every day. "If I get a bruise or two knocking some sense into heads in Washington, so be it.''
McCain calls himself "Arizona's last line of defense.''
The five-term senator may need all the help he can get from Obama, whose approval rating now hovers around 50 percent. That’s because McCain may have to deal with a primary fight against former Republican Congressman J.D. Hayworth, a vociferous opponent of immigration reform.
McCain has led the effort for immigration reform, supporting a process toward citizenship for millions of now illegal immigrants. That stance puts him in agreement with Obama and many Senate Democrats.
But that’s not something the former war hero is playing up in his campaign.
In McCain’s radio ad, a narrator says, "He's lived through a battle or two, vanquished many a foe. But perhaps no battle in our lifetime is more vital than the one John McCain fights now. . . a battle to save America, save our jobs.”
The ad says McCain is leading the battle to cut government spending, particularly healthcare.
"John McCain is leading the fight against President Obama every day.''
McCain has been in the forefront of Republican opposition to Obama since the president took office. Discussing the healthcare bill recently on Fox News, the senator said, “"I urge — no, I don't urge, I demand — the president of the United States veto this bill."
But McCain hasn’t backed off his views in which he agrees with Obama, either. For example, he supports the president’s decision to send more troops to Afghanistan, though he objects to Obama’s 2011 pullout date.
“I think the 30,000 additional U.S. troops that will deploy as part of this mission, plus greater allied commitments, will enable us to reverse the momentum of the insurgency and create the conditions for success in Afghanistan,” McCain said in a statement.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
Sign up for Newsmax’s Daily Newsletter
Receive breaking news and original analysis - sent right to your inbox.
Privacy: We never share your email address.