NOTE: Great Article by Jeremy Duda from the Arizona Capitol Times:Six months of trying to outflank Sen. John McCain from the right produced less support, less money, fewer endorsements and lower poll numbers than J.D. Hayworth and his dedicated followers had anticipated.
First, it was former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the tea party icon whose Arizona admirers are largely backing Hayworth. Then it was Arizona Right to Life and the National Rifle Association, endorsements that pack a punch in Republican primaries. Most recently, the revered National Review gave its imprimatur to McCain, though the publication and the senator haven’t always agreed on the issues.
When Hayworth entered the race in January, McCain was at his most vulnerable point in decades. Polling showed McCain had a lead within the margin of error and was struggling to redefine himself as a Republican loyalist. But polls now show McCain with a solid lead over his boisterous challenger.
“I think one of the real successes of McCain’s campaign so far is that he’s been able … to break apart what we all assumed was Hayworth’s conservative coalition,” said Republican political consultant Chris Baker, of the Scottsdale-based firm Blue Point LLC.
Baker said the McCain campaign may have engineered a sort of domino effect: Each endorsement shows the next group that backing McCain is a safer bet than it may have first appeared, and Republican voters seem to be following the same trend.
Lisa Camooso Miller, a former communications director with the Republican National Committee, said groups such as the NRA and Right to Life often support candidates whom they feel have the best shot of successfully pushing their issues. It’s hard to ignore McCain’s three decades in Congress, she said.
“I sure do know there’s a political reality in supporting the ultimate victor in the fight,” she said.
Hayworth has portrayed himself as the candidate of Republicans who have long felt that McCain is far too centrist or liberal on issues they hold dear. But McCain has attacked Hayworth’s conservative credentials, both in and out of Congress, and seems to be getting out a message that Hayworth isn’t as conservative as advertised.
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