Bad blood lingers among Arizona Republicans

The Hill
By Sean J. Miller

Sen. John McCain acknowledged his primary rivals during his victory speech after winning Tuesday's Arizona Republican primary, but not warmly.

It took until the sixth paragraph of his acceptance speech, and his remarks notably mentioned his closest rival, J.D. Hayworth, last.

"This was a tough, hard-fought primary, and my opponents, Jim Deakin and Congressman Hayworth, and their families and supporters, deserve credit for having the courage to enter the arena, and give so much of themselves to the candidate they believed in," McCain said. "I wish them well in the future."

Deakin was taking a wild stab at public office, whereas Hayworth was a six-term congressman before losing to Rep. Harry Mitchell (D-Ariz.) in 2006.

Hayworth finished Tuesday with more than 30 percent of the vote — a bloc unlikely to warm to McCain. Hayworth was just as cold toward the senator in his concession speech.

"Elections are clarifying moments," he said after conceding to McCain.

Hayworth said voters determined McCain was a "better custodian of their goals and desires."

Jeers broke out among the crowd. "Let's understand we have to move forward," he said. "[O]ur campaign comes to an end." He added, "The cause endures. It is a fight worth having."

Hayworth has said he'll support the Arizona Republican ticket but not McCain personally.

Meanwhile, McCain needs to veer toward the general election against Democrat Rodney Glassman. The former Tucson city councilman is only 32, but he won his party's nomination with 35 percent of the vote in a four-way contest. He raised more than $650,000, and kicked in $500,000 of his own money. On Aug. 4, he had about $578,000 cash on hand. McCain, meanwhile, had slightly more than $1.5 million left in the bank as of Aug.4.

But he had more than $17 million left over in one of his presidential campaign accounts as of June 30.

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