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Poll: McCain Job Approval At 15-Year Low In AZ

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 28, 2010, 2:50PM

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Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is facing his lowest public approval ratings in his home state since 1994, according to the new Rocky Mountain Poll. The last time he faced approval ratings as bad as the ones released to today was in the aftermath of the Keating Five scandal, when McCain had to rebuild trust with voters in his home state.

Just 40% of Arizonans approve of the job McCain is doing for them in D.C., according to the poll. In January of 2006, that number was 60%. It's not clear how much of an impact the tanking numbers will have on McCain's primary battle with conservative J.D. Hayworth. McCain does better with Republicans than he does with the rest of the state. He's got a 52% approval rating among the GOP.

"Assuming J.D. Hayworth is able to raise the funds and nomination signatures he needs to qualify for the ballot, it may remain difficult for many observers to imagine how he will be able to knock off a sitting GOP Senator the stature of John McCain who only a year ago proved his campaign skills when he won the presidential nomination of his party and who is now reputed to have a campaign war chest that might impress even the Mayor of New York," the pollster said in a release. "A McCain - Hayworth primary however will undoubtedly provide voters with much entertainment as the two argue about which one is the more conservative and worthy of trust."

The pollster contacted 800 Arizonans between Jan. 7 and 22. The margin of error for the poll is 5%.

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Recommend Recommend (1)

Sailormarlowe

January 28, 2010 3:27 PM

Doddering John has gained the endorsement of his loyal friend, the powerful populist princess Gov. Sarah Palin. Therefore, he shall easily defeat the porcine oaf Jeeter Dingus Hayworth.

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hewhohasnoname

January 28, 2010 3:29 PM

"McCain still enjoys a 54% approval rating with Republicans, the poll found."

Umm... A 54% approval rating from your own party is horrendous. If there's even an grain of truth to this poll, McCain's in serious trouble.

That would explain why he came out against a jobs bill this morning, as well as why he's been virtually non-responsive on efforts to reexamine campaign finance reform laws after the SCOTUS decision, despite being a previous champion of campaign finance reform (see: McCain-Feingold)...

McCain's getting in touch with his inner Tea Partier. And I think the fun's just beginning...

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January 28, 2010 3:33 PM in reply to hewhohasnoname

And came out against DADT repeal.

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January 28, 2010 4:48 PM in reply to jsfox

Imagine the fights at chez McCain when Cindy posed for the anti-Prop 8 poster.

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Natalie Evans

January 28, 2010 5:06 PM in reply to hewhohasnoname

A Rasmussen Reports survey this month showed McCain holding a 53 percent to 31 percent lead over Hayworth.

JD might want to toss the towel in already. I mean, I'm sure Arizonans remember that JD lost in a no-fail Republican district in 2006... How does he think he'll even stand a chance against McCain?

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January 28, 2010 5:15 PM in reply to Natalie Evans

Agreed! Hayworth wants us all to believe that he's a conservative, but it's far from the truth. He was all for big spending in Congress...

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January 28, 2010 7:58 PM in reply to hewhohasnoname

I think he came out against McCain-Feingold, too.

Think Joe the Liar will campaign for him?

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January 28, 2010 3:31 PM

It's long past time for McCain to retire and spend more time keeping tabs on his wondering wife!

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January 28, 2010 3:35 PM in reply to GTFOOH

Should that be wondering or wandering? Although, I guess either is appropriate.

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January 28, 2010 4:59 PM in reply to IndyLinda

You are both correct in assessing John and Cindy McCain.

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January 28, 2010 3:34 PM

Interesting that McCain's campaign pitch to fellow Arizonans claims that the Obama administration has amassed a $12.4 billion deficit in just his first year in office. How many ways is that wrong and misleading? About $7 billion of it is a direct result of the Bush fiscal practices, another $3+ billion is from presidents before Bush, the remainder is from Obama. Since McCain is supposed to be a financial man, I have to assume that he's lying, and he knows that he's lying, but doing it for effect, oops, sorry. OTOH, using the same judgment that brought us Sarah Palin, and led him to mistake how many homes he has, it might be that he is clueless, out of touch, and just let some campaign op come up with this, without checking it. What ever happened to "... and I approve this message".

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de TOQUEville

January 28, 2010 3:47 PM in reply to acf_ma

Unfortunately, you meant $12.4 trillion, not billion.

Unfortunately.

Just makes McFailin's mendacity and bamboozling all the more egregious.

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January 28, 2010 4:49 PM in reply to de TOQUEville

Thanks, TOQUEville. I did mean trillion, not billion.

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Kenneth Thomas

January 28, 2010 4:08 PM in reply to acf_ma

Not a financial man. He admitted during the campaign that he doesn't understand the economy as well as he should. He can say that again!

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January 28, 2010 3:39 PM

McCain is a nice guy, but a progressive. Sorry John. It's time to go.

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cambridgeMR

January 28, 2010 3:45 PM in reply to Silence

Check out his voting record for this term. His voting record is to the right of most of his caucus.

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cambridgeMR

January 28, 2010 3:49 PM in reply to Silence

Some sourcing for my last comment:

A pdf graph from Political Science Professor Simon Jackman

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January 28, 2010 4:01 PM in reply to cambridgeMR

Only kidding.

However, he is very old and crinkly.

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January 28, 2010 5:00 PM in reply to Silence

But he was a POW. Not that he'd mention that himself you understand.

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Marinus van der Lubbe

January 28, 2010 9:41 PM in reply to CityGuy

I'm retired navy and you would be surprised how many in service thought/think he was a douche kit. Very telling video of McCain by a fellow POW.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KjsEs46C70

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Natalie Evans

January 28, 2010 5:09 PM in reply to Silence

McCain is far from a progressive. He's been standing up for fiscal responsibility through thick and thin. Now, JD on the other hand, he was voted the biggest spender when he was in Congress. That loudmouth is hardly as conservative as he wants you to think he is.

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January 28, 2010 8:16 PM in reply to Silence

A "nice man?" You've got to be kidding. He's a hot head who holds grudges harder and closer the black hole in his chest than anyone in the Senate.

Don't be fooled by his phony smile or his sucking up to the Sunday Morning Gasbags.

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January 28, 2010 3:44 PM

This. Is. Good. News. For. John. McCain.

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January 28, 2010 5:32 PM in reply to jimbomoron

Excellent news, indeed.

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Atlas Scruggs

January 28, 2010 3:58 PM

Sure, I'd trust a guy who tweeted that Obama has added $13 trillion to the debt in the past year. Why not?

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January 28, 2010 4:00 PM

Now we just need a big-name local Dem to challenge him in the general.

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January 28, 2010 4:02 PM in reply to ariseatex

How about a good candidate instead?

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January 28, 2010 4:10 PM in reply to ariseatex

Sorry...no "big" names. We might have...

http://www.rodneyglassman.com though.

If McCain's numbers are really going that low, it could be good for the Democrats. I think Hayworth is too nuts even for this state. Ahhhhh...we can dream, can't we?

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January 28, 2010 4:18 PM in reply to WaitWut?

Hayworth IS too nuts for Arizona. (Not there now, but grew up in east Mesa. :) ) For all the wackos that make the news, AZ in the 21st century has been a moderate state. McCain 2004 was along those lines. Ever since the 2008 Pres. campaign he's tracked hard to the right, which is why his approval rating among independents is abysmal.

My concern, however, is that it will take a strong candidate to stand up to him in the general, assuming he makes it out of the primary (which looks likely). He's still got the local system down, and it'll take someone like a Napolitano or a Gordon to give him a run for his money.

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mcc

January 28, 2010 5:20 PM in reply to ariseatex

Who's Gordon?

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January 28, 2010 5:53 PM in reply to mcc

Mayor of Phoenix.

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January 28, 2010 5:21 PM in reply to WaitWut?

There's also Rudy Garcia, from Douglas. Found him through the state party page.
http://www.arizonaonthemove.com/

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January 28, 2010 5:36 PM in reply to PSzymeczek

Yeah. Saw that, too. There isn't much on him to make me wanna back him, though. Still tracking down info. Could be he just has a crappy web designer and campaign manager. Or, could be he's just as much of an opportunist as his site makes him out to be.

I dunno. I'm exhausted. Grateful for those speed reading courses they made me take in high school, though.

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January 28, 2010 4:01 PM

Grandpa McGrumpy needs to sail off into the sunset to discover how many houses he actually does own - and get to work keeping the neighborhood kids off his lawns.

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January 28, 2010 4:10 PM

McCain will look forward to being able to focus on his Sunday appearances on the talk shows. All this grumpy Senating is hard on the fool he's become.

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January 28, 2010 4:28 PM

Ouch.

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Ohm on the Range

January 28, 2010 4:40 PM

13 Trillion eh?
I think John just had his Carl Sagan moment.

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January 28, 2010 4:50 PM in reply to Ohm on the Range

Without the weed.

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January 28, 2010 4:44 PM

Obama should go hug McCain.

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January 28, 2010 4:50 PM in reply to robcat2075

Which Hayworth and the right would use as "not Republican enough" fodder to get him defeated in the primary, which would mean the Dems win the general. Brilliant!

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Walter Mitty

January 28, 2010 4:49 PM

Dems have nobody to run against him. I hope it's a rope-a-dope of sorts where the Dems don't put anybody forth to allow McCain to tack hard right thinking that should he beat Hayworth he'd have nobody to hold him accountable for his hard right turn.

If they Dems had a good young, charismatic moderate who was willing to work his ass off campaigning it could be interesting if he got in front of framing McCain as standing for nothing other than getting re-elected and point out his hard right turn this past year. Even better if they could find a good, young charismatic female moderate candidate to run against McCain in the general, as you'd know he'd put his foot in his mouth a few times over.

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January 28, 2010 4:52 PM in reply to Walter Mitty

Do you mean young or younger than McCain? Janet Napolitano probably would do more good as a Senator than Secretary for Homeland Security, IMHO.

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Walter Mitty

January 28, 2010 5:28 PM in reply to ariseatex

Early 50's at the oldest. I have a theory that Obama and McCain made a deal in their sitdown right after the election where Obama promised the Dems wouldn't challenge Mccain's seat as a goodwill gesture. Napolitano would have been his only tough challenger, so Napolitano was taken out of the equation and given the Homeland Security gig (which McCain supported). McCain has veered hard right to stave off a primary challenge, but Lindsay Graham has been relatively moderate.

I think Napolitano will run against Kyl in 2012.

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January 28, 2010 5:06 PM in reply to Walter Mitty

Rudy Garcia is listed as a Democratic Candidate, but just heard the the Party here isn't backing anyone, yet. Tried to find something good to say about Garcia, but his site is crap and too much "McCain Bad...Garcia Good" bull to make an informed decision. He seems "illegal friendly" so that won't sit well with the average Arizonan. Some stuff in there about our Constitution that I think is meant to make him seem moderate. Bleh.

I still like Glassman. But, doesn't look like he'll make it. I like him enough to hope that he sticks around, though. He's young and has plenty of political years ahead of him.

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January 28, 2010 5:12 PM

mccain's goal is to be the longest serving republican senator. He will never retire.

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January 28, 2010 5:14 PM

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/01/27/mccain-challenger-j-d-hayworth-is-no-conservative-hero In regards to the title, “JD Hayworth is no conservative hero,” no truer words have ever been spoken.

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January 28, 2010 5:55 PM

McCain and JD Hayworth are bad for America.

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January 28, 2010 6:10 PM

After the campaign he ran, I am amazed he has any support at all, from the right, left or center.

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January 28, 2010 6:24 PM in reply to oskieoskie

In 2004 a liberal columnist for the Arizona Republic said he was voting for McCain because he was "the only power-player from Arizona in Washington." I feel like there's still some sentiment for that, to be honest; whoever beats McCain will have much less clout in Washington, and thus local issues may suffer.

(I tried to denounce the state of my birth, but I'm still an Arizonan at heart I guess. :/ )

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JEGF

January 28, 2010 6:37 PM

Senator McCain has nothing to worry about because he remains a hero in
many voter's eyes and continues to be well-respected in AZ, as well as in
Washington D.C. He is still a conservative and Arizona is lucky to have him
represent our State.And come election day, while the voter is in the booth
about ready to cast their ballot, their conscious won't allow them to
vote for anyone else but Senator McCain.

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January 28, 2010 7:27 PM in reply to JEGF

Are you forgetting how he almost lost Arizona in the Presidential Election?

And, which voter are you speaking of? I need to have a word with him.

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