Ann Kirkpatrick draws sharp contrasts in campaign against John McCain
U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, this year's likely Democratic nominee for Arizona's U.S. Senate seat, on Thursday foreshadowed her coming campaign against incumbent U.S. Sen. John McCain.
McCain, R-Ariz., is seeking his sixth, six-year Senate term and must first prevail Aug. 30 in a contested Republican primary before proceeding to the Nov. 8 general election.
Kirkpatrick, a three-term congresswoman from Flagstaff, announced her Senate candidacy in May, but so far has kept a relatively low profile as she has concentrated on fundraising.
That appears to be changing: On Jan. 30, she will hold a grand opening of a campaign headquarters in Tempe.
"We're driving all over the state, listening to people's concerns. It's clear that people are ready for a change," Kirkpatrick told The Arizona Republic. "We hear a lot from veterans. They've served our country and they still can't get the benefits that they've earned and they deserve. And the problems at the Phoenix VA just continue."
In an interview with The Republic in downtown Phoenix, Kirkpatrick said her campaign will focus on economic development as well as highlight the "contrast" between her and McCain. She said McCain has not been consistent on big issues such as immigration reform.
Another area of contrast is national security. McCain, the chairman of the influential U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, is one of the most persistent critics of President Barack Obama's foreign policy, particularly with regard to Russia and Iran and the war against the terrorist Islamic State.
"His solution to the world's problems is to send in the troops, and I want Congress to debate," Kirkpatrick said of McCain. "Look, we have to destroy ISIS, but if we're going to send troops in, Congress has to have that debate and the American people's voices have to be heard on that."
Kirkpatrick said she is not satisfied with the Obama administration's strategy against ISIS thus far. "I am not happy. I think we should be doing more," she said.
McCain and Kirkpatrick also differ on the Iran nuclear deal. McCain was a fierce opponent of the White House-backed international accord; Kirkpatrick supported it.
"But, again, we've got to hold Iran accountable," she said. "... If Iran doesn't do what they say they're going to do, then we have to punish them for that."
Lorna Romero, a McCain campaign spokeswoman, said, unlike Kirkpatrick, McCain would continue to "stand against policies that put Arizona families at risk and will fight to bring our country back to a position of strength."
“Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick has demonstrated her obedience to the Democrat party machine and has ignored the needs of Arizonans by supporting disastrous policies such as 'Obamacare,' the Iran nuclear deal, and reckless government spending," Romero said in an email to The Republic. "It is amazing that she continues to vocally support the Iran deal even after their test launch of ballistic missiles and the recent capture of 10 U.S. Navy sailors."
In other developments:
-- A pro-McCain group called Citizens for a Working America paid for a cable-television commercial touting McCain's national-security credentials amid ISIS-fueled anxiety about terrorism.
"ISIS strikes overseas and close to home," the ad's narrator says. "Obama doesn't understand the threat. ... John McCain will fight to protect Arizonans."
The 30-second spot includes a clip of McCain saying of ISIS: "We're going to have to kill them."
For now, the ad is running on Fox News Channel and other cable stations and online.
D.B. Mitchell, a Kirkpatrick campaign spokesman, called the TV ad a show of weakness and highlighted McCain's recent opposition to a massive omnibus spending bill that included anti-ISIS money. McCain said he voted against the bill because of the inclusion of "appropriations policy riders and pork barrel projects."
"This is just further proof that John McCain is in the fight of his political life, as his dark-money friends try to prop him up on television 11 months before Election Day," Mitchell said. "But this Super PAC should have looked at McCain's record, because he just voted 'no' on legislation that funded the fight against ISIS. This ad does nothing but highlight McCain's history of empty rhetoric and constantly changing positions."
-- In endorsement news: U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., has endorsed U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in the Republican presidential-nomination race. Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential-nomination race. Kirkpatrick also is supporting Clinton.
Nowicki is The Arizona Republic's national political reporter. Follow him on Twitter at @dannowicki and on his official Facebook page.
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