Nowicki: Jim Deakin may play spoiler in GOP Senate race


by Dan Nowicki, columnist - Jul. 18, 2010 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/election/ ... z0u30CVbAW


Is Jim Deakin helping U.S. Sen. John McCain save his job by refusing to withdraw from Arizona's Republican Senate race and throw his support to rival GOP challenger J.D. Hayworth?

Deakin is a little-known and little-funded "tea party" conservative running third behind McCain, who leads in the polls, and Hayworth, who has been stuck in second place.


Supporters of Hayworth, a former Arizona congressman and radio talk-show host, have long clamored for Deakin to step aside so as not to split the anti-McCain vote. On Thursday,William Gheen, president of the national group Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee, or ALIPAC, stepped up the pressure, publicly calling on Deakin to drop out or else risk becoming known as the "political spoiler" who helped McCain win the Aug. 24 primary. ALIPAC, which opposes illegal immigration, has endorsed Hayworth and donated money to his campaign.

The question came up Friday night during the Republican Senate debate on Channel 3 (KTVK), a forum that gave Deakin his best opportunity so far to pitch his vision of constitutionally limited government to voters. Deakin tried to characterize McCain and Hayworth as two largely indistinguishable career Washington politicians.

"I don't care whether anybody tells me to drop out of this race or not," Deakin said. "I have a constitutional right to be on this ballot, and if either one of my opponents had stuck to the Constitution in their voting records, I would not be in this position today. I will stand by the Constitution."

Hayworth acknowledged that Deakin "has the right to run, as do we all," but did suggest that Deakin's candidacy was benefiting McCain.

"Intentional or not, there is a form of collusion, or coordination, because every vote that goes to Jim Deakin will be one less vote to retire John McCain," Hayworth said.

Not surprisingly, McCain sided with Deakin, a fellow Navy veteran.

"Well, maybe every vote that goes to J.D. Hayworth would detract from the chance of Mr. Deakin being elected, after all," McCain said. "By the way Jim, I respect your service to the country, and I respect your passion. Obviously, you qualified for the ballot - you deserve it."

In a pre-debate written response to Gheen's call for him to get out of the race, Deakin defiantly said he "would not consider withdrawing, much less suggest to anyone to support Hayworth's campaign."

Gheen told The Arizona Republic that McCain's insistence that Deakin participate in the two televised Senate debates is proof that the two campaigns are working together. He said his group will be taking measures "to properly inform Arizona voters across the state to make sure that they don't get deceived by this dirty campaign trick between the McCain-Deakin campaigns."

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