McCAIN NOT POPULAR WITH LOCAL GOP (home state Arizona)
PHXNEWS ^ | Jan. 22, 2007 | Bob Haran

Arizona Senator John McCain may be doing well in national polls but the folks back home that know him best don't seem to agree. According to a straw poll taken on Saturday, January 19 of 721 Republican Precinct Committeemen from Maricopa County, Arizona, McCain's home county, at their annual county meeting, 59.2% found him unacceptable for the GOP presidential nomination and only 11% find him acceptable.

The poll asked the Republican Precinct Committeemen, who are elected by their fellow Republicans to represent their local precinct in the Maricopa County Republican Party, who would be their first choice for the Republican presidential nomination, 26% selected Mitt Romney, 17% are for Fred Thompson, who dropped his candidacy today, 16% for Ron Paul, 13% for Duncan Hunter who withdrew his candidacy later that same day, followed by Arizona's own Senator, John McCain, with only 11% support. Only Rudy Giuliani and Mike Huckabee had less support then McCain among the Maricopa County Republicans at 9% each.

The next question asked the Republican Precinct Committeemen who they found to be unacceptable for the GOP presidential nomination, McCain came in first with 59.2% of the 721 Republican party activist in McCain's home county.

McCain was followed by Ron Paul with 54.9%, Rudy Giuliani 49.5%, Mike Huckabee 47.1%, Duncan Hunter 21.6%, Fred Thompson 21% and, Mitt Romney with 16.7%.

A third question on the poll asked the Maricopa County Republican's to vote for every candidate that they considered as acceptable, Fred Thompson came in first with 51.3%, followed by now former candidate Duncan Hunter with 49.6%, Mitt Romney with 49.3%, Giuliani 32.5%, Huckabee 28.7%, Arizona Senator John McCain came in sixth with only 18.7%, followed only by Ron Paul with 16.6%.

McCain's poor showing with Maricopa County Republican's may have to do with his stand on illegal immigration. When the Republican Precinct Committeemen were asked what issues were the most important to them in selecting a presidential nominee,

89.1% voted for, "Stop Illegal Immigration, " followed by "Win War Against Terror" 76.5%, Reduce Gov't Spending" 71.8%, "Lower Taxes" 56.3%, "Supreme Court Appointments" 54%, "Pro-Life" 37.5%, "Citizen's Gun Rights" 31.3%, "Domestic Oil Production" 27.1%, "Choice of Private Social Security Accounts" 14.7%.