Arizona Sen. John McCain is facing his toughest re-election battle in his five terms on Capitol Hill — as angry voters target Washington insiders and polls show him running neck-and-neck with Democratic challenger Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick.
"The basic problem for John McCain is the same kind of thing that faces a lot of incumbents right now," former Grand Canyon State GOP Rep. Jim Kolbe, who served 18 years with McCain,
told The Hill. "He’s been there a long time.
"People are leery of Washington. They don’t like Washington.
"This is a very tough challenge, probably the toughest race that he's faced since he was first elected," Kolbe said.
Donald Trump also is a factor in the race — Arizona's primary is on Tuesday — and the Republican presidential front-runner's stance on illegal immigration and other issues has riled Hispanics, a huge voting block in the state.
"I don’t see how Donald Trump helps any incumbent Republicans," Kolbe told the Hill. "I think he’s a drag on the ticket."
A Merrill Poll released Thursday showed McCain, 79, who was first elected in 1986, at 41-40 percent statewide against Kirkpatrick. Trump and Democratic leader Hillary Clinton each held 38 percent in the survey.
In addition, a Public Policy Polling survey earlier this month put McCain's disapproval rating at 63 percent, versus 26 percent approval.
"I’m hearing from voters that John McCain has changed after 33 years in Washington," Kirkpatrick told the Hill. "They want a new voice in the Senate."
She plans to tie McCain to Trump as much as possible.
"With the really divisive and frankly racist comments that Trump has made about immigrants, he deserves condemnation," Kirkpatrick said. "We can’t just look the other way.
"And yet, John McCain has come out over and over and over again — saying that he will support Trump if he is the nominee."
The McCain campaign, meanwhile, has dismissed the surveys.
"A poll taken eight months before Election Day may be good fodder for political pundits, but it doesn't mean much in reality," Lorna Romero, the senator's communications director, told the Hill.