McCain, Hayworth Lob Early Charges
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) welcomed his new foe into the race with a broadside, accusing ex-Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R) of "blatant lies and fabrications" as Hayworth kicked off his campaign.
"Sen. McCain understands that to earn the votes of hardworking Arizonans, you first have to respect them by telling the truth. Former Congressman Hayworth obviously disagrees, and it was sad to see him use blatant lies and fabrications to attack Sen. McCain when he 'officially' entered the race for U.S. Senate today," McCain spokesperson Brian Rogers said in a statement released late Monday.
"One would think that when asking Arizonans to entrust him to represent them in the U.S. Senate, Mr. Hayworth would have the decency to at least respect them enough to tell the truth. Instead, Mr. Hayworth has started his campaign with a litany of lies," Rogers added.
McCain's team has anticipated Hayworth's entry into the race since rumors began last year. They have already signaled they will hammer Hayworth for his record during his 12 years in the House, when Hayworth voted for bills that contained earmarks and broke a term-limits pledge.
In an appearance on MSNBC today, Hayworth fired back, calling McCain "panicked" over the challenge and accusing him of running a "scorched earth campaign." "I believe [AZ voters] will opt for a consistent conservative over the moderate who calls himself a maverick," Hayworth said.
Hayworth is angling for backing from Tea Party activists, but McCain is the one touting his fiscal discipline. Hayworth has spent months assaulting McCain for his stand on illegal immigration -- McCain backs a comprehensive approach while Hayworth favors an enforcement-first approach.
And McCain's camp also signaled they would push one of Hayworth's buttons, bringing up thousands in campaign contributions he received from convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Hayworth has said he will bring up McCain's involvement in the Keating 5 scandal if McCain brought up Abramoff. Hayworth was never implicated in any of the investigations surrounding Abramoff's dealings, but the scandal cost Hayworth hundreds of thousands in legal bills.
"I'm surprised that John has gotten so panicked so early, because that's demonstrably false," Hayworth said, referring to the Abramoff charge. "Then again, he's got a staff that's pretty lax with the truth."
Hayworth also hinted at a Keating 5 attack. "Apparently, he believes there's one set of rules for John McCain and another set of rules for somebody else," he said.
Both candidates have launched their first campaign tours this week as they kick off their respective bids.
Let's see... Old corrupt Keating 5 Republican vs Young corrupt Abramoff Republican.
GREAAAAT CHOICE!
I hope the AZ Dems get on top of this.
McCain showed in the presidential race that he supported ads full of lies and distortions. Because of his lake of credibility and integrity, I could not vote for him. Now suddenly he has taken a turn to the right, even the far right, in a desperate bid for votes. Again, it lacks credibility and integrity.
This is just wonderful Thanks for putting this online!
I strayed your place a couple weeks back and I seriously can't get enough! Please keep writing!