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128-468: McCain was the main challenger to Texas Governor George W. Bush , who had the political and financial support of most of the party establishment. McCain staged an upset win in the February 2000 New Hampshire primary , capitalizing on a message of political reform and "straight talk" that appealed to moderate Republican and independent voters and to the press. McCain's momentum was halted when Bush won

256-588: A videocassette telling the story was sent to 50,000 voters in the first two primary states, as well as to military veterans in other states. By skipping Iowa, McCain was able to focus instead on the New Hampshire primary , where his message held appeal to independents and where Bush's father had never been very popular. At first, McCain attracted small crowds and little media attention. But by November 1999, McCain had become competitive, measuring evenly with Bush in polls. Bush said he realized McCain

384-664: A Republican, she made a cross-party endorsement of Joe Biden in the 2020 United States presidential election . She was nominated to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture ambassadorship by President Biden in June 2021 and confirmed by the Senate in October 2021. Much of her tenure in that position focused on dealing with the 2022–2023 food crises largely caused by the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and

512-414: A backdrop, McCain said that "When we began this campaign, we knew that ours was a difficult challenge" but that now the challenge had become "considerably more difficult" and that it was time to stop. Nevertheless, he said he would not abandon the idea of political reform that the campaign had embraced, saying "I will never walk away from a fight for what I know is right and just for our country." Following

640-470: A bad temper, with the latter featuring on-the-record criticism from Governor of Michigan John Engler . By early November, stories about McCain's temper problem were frequent enough that Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz wrote a survey article about them. Some of McCain's opponents, including those in or close to the Senate Republican leadership, intimated that McCain's temper was

768-706: A big audience, marching bands , and thousands of balloons. However, the Kosovo War intervened. On March 24, the NATO bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia began. McCain had voted the day before in favor of approval for the Clinton administration 's action, saying "Atrocities are the signature of the Serbian Army. They've been carrying out atrocities since 1992. We must not permit

896-600: A black child out of wedlock (the McCains' dark-skinned daughter Bridget was adopted from Bangladesh ; this misrepresentation was thought to be an especially effective slur in a Deep South state where race was still central), but also that his wife Cindy was a drug addict, that he was a homosexual, and that he was a "Manchurian Candidate" traitor or mentally unstable from his North Vietnam POW days. The Bush campaign strongly denied any involvement with these attacks; Bush said he would fire anyone who ran defamatory push polls. During

1024-573: A bookkeeper who later had difficulty finding receipts for family trips on Keating's jet, caused complications for her husband during the Keating Five scandal, when he was being examined for his role regarding oversight of Keating's bank. In 1988, inspired by a vacation that she took four years earlier to substandard medical facilities on Truk Lagoon , McCain founded the American Voluntary Medical Team (AVMT). It

1152-523: A break in a debate, Bush put his hand on McCain's arm and reiterated that he had no involvement in the attacks; McCain replied, "Don't give me that shit. And take your hands off me." Bush mobilized the state's evangelical voters , and leading conservative broadcaster Rush Limbaugh entered the fray supporting Bush and claiming McCain was a favorite of liberal Democrats. Polls swung in Bush's favor; by not accepting federal matching funds for his campaign, Bush

1280-566: A considerable profit from the agreed-upon acquisition of Anheuser-Busch by the Belgian company InBev , she was initially under some political pressure to help oppose the deal and keep Anheuser-Busch under American ownership. In June 2008, a Rasmussen Reports poll found that 49 percent of voters viewed McCain favorably and 29 percent unfavorably, while an ABC News / The Washington Post poll found figures of 39 percent and 25 percent respectively. Her style and fashion sense

1408-634: A degree of fear and panic crept into not only the Bush campaign but also the Republican establishment and movement conservatism . Bush's top campaign staff met and strategized what to do about McCain; one advisor said, "We gotta hit him hard." The battle between Bush and McCain for South Carolina has entered U.S. political lore as one of the nastiest, dirtiest, and most brutal ever. On the one hand, Bush switched his label for himself from " compassionate conservative " to "reformer with results", as part of trying to co-opt McCain's popular message of reform. On

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1536-611: A drug treatment facility where she began outpatient sessions to begin recovery from drug addiction. In 1993, she underwent surgery, which resolved her back pain. In January 1993, Tom Gosinski, an AVMT employee who had discovered her illegal drug use, was terminated on budgetary grounds. Subsequently, he tipped off the Drug Enforcement Administration about her prior actions and a federal investigation ensued. McCain's defense team, led by her husband's Keating Five lawyer John Dowd , secured an agreement with

1664-535: A few days of appearances in late October, emphasizing, in the wake of the October 12 USS Cole bombing , his belief that Bush was a better choice than Democratic Party nominee Al Gore to deal with international security threats. Bush aide Scott McClellan later described the joint appearances by saying, "The tension was palpable. The two were cordial, but McCain would get that forced smile on his face whenever they were together." McCain also campaigned for about forty Republican House of Representatives candidates, and

1792-603: A foothold in Arizona politics. She campaigned with her husband door to door during his successful first bid for U.S. Congress in 1982, and was heavily involved in campaign strategy. Her wealth from an expired trust from her parents provided significant loans to the campaign and helped it survive a period of early debt. Once her husband was elected, the McCains moved to Alexandria, Virginia . She spent two months in late 1983 writing handwritten notes on over 4,000 Christmas cards to be sent to constituents and others. She

1920-408: A freshman, and had many leadership roles in the house during her four years there. Hensley graduated as a Bachelor of Arts in education in 1976. She continued on at USC, and received a Master of Arts degree in special education in 1978. There she participated in a movement therapy pilot program that led the way to a standard treatment for children with severe disabilities; she published

2048-600: A hypothetical candidate with a similar military biography, the numbers improved dramatically. McCain had initially planned on announcing his candidacy and beginning active campaigning on April 6, 1999. There was to be a four-day roadshow, whose first day would symbolically begin at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland , then see early primary states New Hampshire and South Carolina , before concluding in home Phoenix, Arizona with

2176-407: A large Asian American population. After criticism from some in that community, McCain vowed to no longer use the term, saying, "I will continue to condemn those who unfairly mistreated us. But out of respect to a great number of people for whom I hold in very high regard, I will no longer use the term that has caused such discomfort." Reaction among Vietnamese Americans to McCain's use of this term

2304-592: A lie." He conducted 114 of these town hall meetings , speaking in every town in New Hampshire in an example of "retail politics" that overcame Bush's familiar name. His growing number of supporters became known as "McCainiacs". McCain was famously accessible to the press, using free media to compensate for his lack of funds. As one reporter later recounted, "McCain talked all day long with reporters on his Straight Talk Express bus; he talked so much that sometimes he said things that he shouldn't have, and that's why

2432-792: A minority stake in the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team. McCain became actively involved with Operation Smile in 2001, taking parts in its medical missions to Morocco , Vietnam and India. She was honored by the organization in 2005 and sits on its board of directors . McCain joined the board of directors of CARE in 2005. She is on the board of the HALO Trust , and has visited operations to remove landmines in Cambodia , Sri Lanka , Mozambique , and Angola . She makes financial contributions to these organizations via her family trust and views her role as watching them in

2560-733: A mostly full recovery, although she still had some short-term memory loss and difficulties in writing. She owns a home in Coronado, California , next to the Hotel del Coronado ; her family had vacationed in Coronado growing up, and she has gone there for recuperation and family get-togethers. She or her family own other residential and commercial real estate in California, Arizona and Virginia and, including rental properties, McCain herself owns ten homes and part of three office complexes. She

2688-414: A national crusade for the political reforms I believed in or to run a campaign as if it were some grand act of patriotism. In truth, I wanted to be president because it had become my ambition to become president. I was sixty-two years old when I made the decision, and I thought it was my one shot at the prize." Potential weaknesses of a McCain candidacy included his senatorial accomplishments skewing towards

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2816-519: A naval aviator in the Pacific Theater of World War II under Admiral John S. McCain, Sr. , McCain's grandfather. He said directly of the nominee, "I support him. I am grateful to him. And I am proud of him." The Almanac of American Politics called it "a moving, elegiac speech that ended as if in a minor key." McCain's plans to campaign for Bush in fall 2000 were delayed later in August by

2944-666: A nonprofit organization, the American Voluntary Medical Team, which organized trips by medical personnel to disaster-stricken or war-torn third-world areas. Upon her father's death in 2000, she inherited majority control and became chair of Hensley & Co. , one of the largest Anheuser-Busch beer distributors in the United States. She participated in both of her husband's presidential campaigns and, in 2008, drew both positive and negative scrutiny for her appearance, demeanor, wealth, spending habits, and financial obligations. She continued to be an active philanthropist and served on

3072-532: A number of years following his POW release that indicated no signs of lingering mental or emotional difficulty from that period. Bush avoided most of the scheduled Republican Party debates during 1999, including one held on November 21 at Arizona State University in McCain's home state. There McCain debated second-tier candidates Alan Keyes , Orrin Hatch , and Steve Forbes instead. Bush finally did participate in

3200-769: A panel of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on behalf of continued monetary assistance to the Democratic Republic of Congo , in an environment where the Republican-controlled House was looking to make significant cuts to foreign aid. She has noted the difficulty of getting attention to some of the topics she feels most strongly about; at a Futures Without Violence summit in 2012, she said, "When I talk about rape in Congo, people turn their backs and run, especially

3328-419: A point of having Cindy McCain head the Arizona delegation at the convention, not his antagonist Governor Hull. On August 1, the second night of the convention, McCain delivered a speech in praise of Bush, in particular trying to solidify Bush's national security and foreign policy credentials. In it, McCain connected his family to Bush's, making reference to former President George H. W. Bush 's combat service as

3456-806: A press conference in response to a newspaper report regarding his connection to a lobbyist . McCain faced media scrutiny about her wealth, spending habits, and financial obligations. She initially declined to release her separate income tax returns, saying that it was a privacy issue and she would not release the returns even if she became First Lady She later released the first two pages of her 2006 return, which showed $ 6 million in income for that year (including nearly $ 570,000 in itemized deductions and more than $ 1.7 million paid in federal income taxes). The campaign said that any decisions about how to handle her role in Hensley & Co. if she became First Lady would not be made until that time. While she stood to gain

3584-558: A prior relationship, was her half-sister, as was Kathleen Hensley Portalski (d. 2017), daughter of Jim Hensley and his first wife, Mary Jeanne Parks. Cindy Hensley was named Junior Rodeo Queen of Arizona in 1968. She went to Central High School in Phoenix, where she was named Best Dressed as a senior and graduated in 1972. Hensley enrolled at the University of Southern California . She joined Kappa Alpha Theta sorority as

3712-407: A public statement one year after her husband's initial prognosis, saying that "Though this diagnosis has brought many challenges, our hearts are nevertheless filled with gratitude" towards caregivers, colleagues, and friends. John McCain died at age 81 on August 25, 2018. She was present at, and later expressed gratitude for, the elaborate services for her husband, which involved lying in state in

3840-496: A range of behaviors between her and her husband, varying from moments of great tenderness and concern to raging arguments that dismayed their staffs. McCain stated that the American public wanted a First Lady of the United States who would tend toward a traditional role in that position. She would not attend Cabinet meetings, but would continue her involvement in overseas non-profit organizations and would urge Americans to do

3968-400: A recurrence of melanoma . This Stage IIa instance on his temple required extensive surgery that removed the lesion, surrounding lymph nodes , and part of the parotid gland . The final pathology tests showed that the melanoma had not spread, and his prognosis was good, but McCain was left with cosmetic aftereffects including a puffy cheek and a scar down his neck. McCain did join Bush for

John McCain 2000 presidential campaign - Misplaced Pages Continue

4096-781: A relationship, traveling between Arizona and Washington to see each other. John McCain then pushed to end his marriage and the couple stopped cohabiting in January 1980, Carol McCain consented to a divorce in February 1980, it was finalized in April 1980. Hensley and McCain were married on May 17, 1980, at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix. They signed a prenuptial agreement that kept most of her family's assets under her name; they kept their finances apart and filed separate income tax returns . Her father's business and political contacts helped her new husband to gain

4224-497: A remarkable source of inspiration, kindness and just a shoulder throughout all of this." In June 2020, McCain stated that she would not endorse Donald Trump's re-election campaign . While not explicitly endorsing Biden at the time, McCain spoke in a video segment shown at the August 2020 Democratic National Convention about the friendship between her late husband and Biden. On September 22, McCain gave her full endorsement to Biden's presidential candidacy . McCain's endorsement, and

4352-514: A show of visiting Phoenix and displaying that he, not McCain, had the endorsement of Arizona Governor Jane Dee Hull and several other prominent local political figures. McCain did have the support of the rest of the Republican Arizona congressional delegation. Hull would continue to attack McCain during the campaign, and was featured in high-profile Arizona Republic and New York Times stories about McCain's reputation for having

4480-701: A sign of mental instability. The notion that this was due to McCain's POW days caused Admiral James Stockdale , a fellow former POW and 1992 vice-presidential candidate for Ross Perot , to write an op-ed piece for The New York Times , "John McCain in the Crucible". In it, Stockdale said that the reverse was true: that the experience of resisting during the POW experience made former POWs more emotionally stable in later life, not less. In early December, McCain released some 1,500 pages of his medical and psychiatric records, which showed several psychiatric evaluations over

4608-445: A statement without fanfare that he would be a candidate: "While now is not the time for the celebratory tour I had planned, I am a candidate for president and I will formally kick off my campaign at a more appropriate time." McCain and his wife Cindy would make some campaign-related appearances over the spring and summer. McCain's co-authored, best-selling family memoir, Faith of My Fathers , published in August 1999, helped promote

4736-559: A thousand people in Greeley Park in Nashua, New Hampshire , saying "It is because I owe America more than she has ever owed me that I am a candidate for president to the United States." He further said he was staging "a fight to take our government back from the power brokers and special interests and return it to the people and the noble cause of freedom it was created to serve." As originally planned, he began his announcement day with

4864-590: A vacancy in the office of governor, the lieutenant governor becomes governor. This rule was added only in a 1999 amendment, prior to which the lieutenant governor only acted as governor, except during the time of the 1861 constitution, which said that the lieutenant governor would be styled "Governor of the State of Texas" in case of vacancy. Cindy Hensley McCain This is an accepted version of this page Cindy Lou McCain ( née   Hensley ; born May 20, 1954)

4992-528: A visit to the Naval Academy. McCain's campaign used many veteran Washington political insiders, including some who had an insurgency-oriented or contrarian mindset. Rick Davis was the campaign manager for the McCain effort, while Mike Murphy was the overall strategist and John Weaver the chief political adviser. Greg Stevens was the media adviser and Mark Salter was the chief speechwriter (and credited co-author of McCain's books). Howard Opinsky

5120-568: Is a daughter of wealthy beer distributor Jim Hensley . After receiving bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Southern California , she became a special education teacher . She married John McCain in 1980, and the couple moved to Arizona in 1981, where her husband was elected to the United States Congress the following year and reelected five more times. The couple had three children together, in addition to adopting another. From 1988 to 1995, she founded and operated

5248-414: Is a mistake to understand the McCains as a political family. They're a military family first and a political family second." Nonetheless, she still wielded some influence in terms of who would be picked. On September 4, Ducey – who had by this time easily won the Republican gubernatorial primary – appointed former Arizona senator Jon Kyl to the seat, in a choice that was satisfactory to all factions within

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5376-536: Is an American diplomat, businesswoman, and humanitarian who is the executive director of the World Food Programme . McCain previously served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture from 2021 to 2023. She is the widow of U.S. Senator John McCain from Arizona , who was the 2008 Republican presidential nominee. McCain was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona , and

5504-414: Is an amateur pilot and race car driver . After her stroke, she trained in the motorsport of drifting and precision driving. She was active and visible in her husband's second presidential campaign during 2007 and 2008 , despite not wanting her husband to run initially due to bad memories of their 2000 experience and worries the effect on her children, especially son Jimmy who was headed to serve in

5632-535: Is the commander in chief of the Texas Military . The current governor is Greg Abbott , who took office in 2015. Anyone seeking to become the governor of Texas must meet the following qualifications: Governors of Texas are directly elected by registered voters in Texas and serve for a term of four years. They take office on the third Tuesday of January following an election, which is also the date of expiry of

5760-478: The American Civil War , increased terms to 4 years, but no more than 8 years out of every 12, and moved the start date to the first Thursday after the organization of the legislature, or "as soon thereafter as practicable". The Reconstruction -era constitution of 1869 removed the limit on terms, Texas remains one of 16 states, territory or jurisdiction (including the U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico and

5888-506: The Bush administration for not deploying enough troops during the Iraq War . Her close examination of the financial books of the McCain campaign during the first part of 2007 convinced the candidate that its profligate spending could not go on and led to the drastic mid-year reduction of the campaign's staff and scope. In February 2008, McCain made news by being critical of Michelle Obama ,

6016-567: The District of Columbia ) with no gubernatorial term limits. The present constitution of 1876 shortened terms back to two years, but a 1972 amendment increased it to four years again. The gubernatorial election is held every four years on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November that does not coincide with the presidential elections . All gubernatorial elections have been a part of

6144-415: The Iraq War . She eventually supported her husband in his goals, but defined her own campaign roles; she frequently returned to Arizona to attend to domestic duties or interrupted campaigning for her overseas charitable work. She preferred to travel with her husband and introduce him rather than act as a campaign surrogate with a separate schedule. She wore her hair in a fashionable but severe style and

6272-623: The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 and, together with Malika Saada Saar, executive director of the Human Rights Project for Girls, started the No Such Thing Campaign to end the use of the term "child prostitute", saying "there are only victims and survivors of child rape." During the 2016 United States presidential election , McCain and her husband ended up not voting for the Republican nominee in

6400-571: The Log Cabin Republicans , and posing for the NOH8 Campaign , a gay rights project opposed to California Proposition 8 , a ballot measure banning same-sex marriage . The following year she appeared in another NOH8 public service announcement against bullying , and in it appeared to break with her husband's position and express support for repeal of the " Don't ask, don't tell " policy prohibiting gays from serving openly in

6528-563: The New England states of Massachusetts , Rhode Island , Connecticut and Vermont . His overall loss on that day has been attributed to his going "off message", ineffectively accusing Bush of being anti-Catholic due to having visited Bob Jones University and getting into a verbal battle with leaders of the Religious Right . Throughout the campaign, McCain had achieved parity with Bush among self-identified Republicans only in

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6656-529: The South Carolina primary later that month, in a contest that became famous for its bitter nature and an underground smear campaign run against McCain. McCain won some subsequent primaries, but after the March 2000 Super Tuesday contests he was well behind in delegates and withdrew. He reluctantly endorsed Bush two months later and made occasional appearances for him during the general election. McCain

6784-602: The U.S. Attorney 's office for McCain, a first-time offender, which avoided charges while requiring her to pay financial restitution, enroll in a diversion program and do community service . Meanwhile, in early 1994, Gosinski filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against McCain, in which he alleged she ordered him to conceal "improper acts" and "misrepresent facts in a judicial proceeding;" he told her he would settle for $ 250,000. In response, Dowd characterized this request as blackmail, and requested Maricopa County attorney Rick Romley to investigate Gosinski for extortion . In

6912-595: The effects of climate change on agriculture . Cindy Lou Hensley was born in Phoenix , Arizona , to James Hensley , who founded Hensley & Co. , and Marguerite "Smitty" Hensley (née Johnson). She has described her mother as being very much from Southern culture , while her father reflected the Western lifestyle . She was raised as the only child of her parents' second marriages and grew up on Phoenix's North Central Avenue in affluent circumstances. Dixie Lea Burd (d. 2008), daughter of Marguerite Smith through

7040-634: The midterm elections since the 1974 election , invalidating the latter. The governor is sworn in on the third Tuesday of January every four years along with the lieutenant governor , so Abbott and current lieutenant governor Dan Patrick both took office on January 20, 2015. Despite the lack of term limits, no Texas governor in the 19th or 20th century ever served more than seven and a half consecutive years in office ( Allan Shivers ) or eight years total service ( Bill Clements , in two non-consecutive four-year terms). Former governor Rick Perry , who served from 2000 to 2015, surpassed both these records, becoming

7168-416: The Arizona delegation to the 2000 Republican National Convention . In 2000, she became chair of the now $ 300 million-a-year Hensley & Co. following her father's death. It is one of the largest Anheuser-Busch beer distributors in the United States. Together, McCain, her children, and one of John McCain's children from his first marriage own 68 percent of the company. As chair, her role takes

7296-527: The December ;6 debate from the Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix , by which time McCain was so busy campaigning in New Hampshire that he had to join via a video linkup. There McCain's signature push for campaign finance reform led to one of the few lively exchanges in an otherwise placid event. Following political consultant Mike Murphy 's advice, McCain decided to skip the initial event of

7424-515: The McCain campaign reached its final day and subsequent loss to Obama. After the election, McCain was approached about appearing on Dancing with the Stars . She seriously considered participating, but according to her husband, was concerned that her surgically replaced knee would not be able to withstand the rigors of the competition. Continuing her humanitarian aid work with a January 2009 trip to Dubai , India , and Cambodia , she said that she

7552-453: The Nation to say, "I think the nation is growing a little weary of this. We're not in a constitutional crisis, but the American people are growing weary, and whoever wins is having a rapidly diminishing mandate, to say the least." Once Bush was declared the winner and inaugurated in January 2001, McCain's battles with him would resume, with a significant amount of lingering bitterness between

7680-543: The Republican primary contest incumbent governor Doug Ducey was trying to fend off a challenge from former Secretary of State of Arizona Ken Bennett . In May 2018, some media reports stated that Ducey was planning on naming McCain if the seat became vacant. To this, Bennett, who was seeking to capitalize on the dissatisfaction that some conservatives in the state had long had with the long-time senator, stated, "I promise I will not appoint Cindy McCain to US Senate as Gov of AZ." For his part, Ducey refused to publicly speak about

7808-460: The Sedona Forum, McCain and actress Demi Moore discussed ways to end sex trafficking. Later in that year she staged appearances with Heidi Heitkamp , Democratic Senator from North Dakota , to discuss human trafficking in that state and elsewhere. She said of trafficking, "Everybody has seen it; they just didn't know what they were looking at." She praised Obama and Congress for passage of

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7936-521: The South Carolina primary. So I chose to compromise my principles." He had done so woodenly, reading his revised statement from a piece of paper. According to one report, the South Carolina experience overall left McCain in a "very dark place." McCain finally did announce he would campaign for Bush, in a joint appearance with him on May 9, but did not use the actual word "endorse" until reporters pressed him to do so. The Guardian characterized

8064-416: The South Carolina smear reports as unfounded legend. McCain's campaign manager said in 2004 they never found out where the smear attacks came from, while McCain himself never doubted their existence. When McCain ran for president again in 2008 , South Carolina again proved crucial, in his battle with former Governors Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee and former Senator Fred Thompson . This time, McCain had

8192-718: The Straight Talk Express that referred to Robertson and Falwell as "forces of evil", that came across as angry hostility to many Christian conservatives. McCain lost the Virginia primary on February 29, as well as one in Washington . McCain had stated in mid-February that "I hate the gooks", referring to his captors during the Vietnam War . This use gained some media attention in California , which had

8320-760: The U.S. military. However, she subsequently tweeted that "I fully support the NOH8 campaign and all it stands for and am proud to be a part of it. But I stand by my husband's stance on DADT." In September 2009, she spoke about her migraines publicly for the first time and decided to speak at the International Headache Congress about raising awareness for others with the condition. During her husband's eventually successful 2010 senatorial re-election campaign , she rarely made public appearances. McCain appeared in March 2011 alongside Eastern Congo Initiative founder Ben Affleck to testify before

8448-467: The United States for medical treatment. She decided to adopt one of the girls, later named Bridget, with her husband readily agreeing; the adoption became final in 1993. She helped coordinate the adoption of the other little girl for family friend Wes Gullett. In 1989, McCain developed an addiction to Percocet and Vicodin . She initially took the opioid painkillers to alleviate pain after two spinal surgeries for ruptured discs . She also used

8576-427: The aim of encouraging people to interact with those they disagree with. In February 2019, she faced backlash after making claims on KTAR-FM that she saw human trafficking at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport . Police rejected her claims, stating that there was "no evidence of criminal conduct or child endangerment". She later apologized in a tweet and praised police officers. She continued to be critical of

8704-454: The anti-McCain smears to high levels of the Bush campaign: the 2003 book Bush's Brain would use it to build up their "evil genius" depiction of Bush chief strategist Karl Rove , while a 2008 NOW on PBS program showed a local political consultant stating that Warren Tompkins, a Lee Atwater protégé and then Bush chief strategist for the state, was responsible. In contrast, in 2004 National Review 's Byron York would try to debunk many of

8832-547: The big leader in terms of establishment party support and fundraising was Texas Governor and presidential son George W. Bush . Indeed, by the time of McCain's formal announcement, top-echelon Republican contenders such as Lamar Alexander , John Kasich , and Dan Quayle were already withdrawing from the race due to Bush's strength. As McCain would later write, "No one thought I had much of a chance, including me." Four of McCain's fifty-five fellow Republican senators endorsed his candidacy. The day after McCain announced, Bush made

8960-415: The boards of Operation Smile , Eastern Congo Initiative , CARE , and HALO Trust , frequently making overseas trips in conjunction with their activities. During the 2010s, she became prominent in the fight against human trafficking . From 2017 until his death the following year, she dealt with her husband's battle against glioblastoma . McCain has remained visible in public life since then. While herself

9088-426: The chief executive of her husband's nay vote that had doomed the so-called " Skinny repeal " effort to dismantle Obamacare . McCain said: "I think the president fails to understand this, but more importantly, in my own – from my own feeling, we need more compassion, we need more empathy, we need more togetherness in terms of working together. We don't need more bullying, and I'm tired of it." In July 2018 McCain issued

9216-426: The drugs to ease emotional stress during the Keating Five scandal . The addiction progressed to where she was taking upwards of twenty pills a day, and she resorted to having an AVMT physician write illegal prescriptions in the names of three AVMT employees without their knowledge. In 1992, her parents staged an intervention to force her to get help; she told her husband about her problem and subsequently attended

9344-528: The end of July, McCain took his Straight Talk Express to meet with his delegates and supporters before formally releasing them to Bush. There were tears from McCain, his wife Cindy, and some of the campaign staff and delegates. Many of McCain's supporters were vocally unhappy with his words of support for Bush, and the Times wrote that, "Politics as usual with its compromises, cruelties and emotional costs—caught up with Senator John McCain this weekend." McCain made

9472-511: The end of his campaign, McCain returned to the Senate, where he was welcomed with respect for the effort he had made, his openness in the campaign, and the attacks he had undergone. Other Republicans sought out his endorsement in their general election races. In the Senate, McCain continued his push for campaign finance reform . The question of whether McCain would endorse Bush remained uncertain. The events of South Carolina stayed with McCain. In an interview during this time, McCain would say of

9600-481: The end, Gosinski's credibility was undermined by testimony in Romley's report from other charity staffers who asserted Gosinski privately vowed to blackmail McCain were he ever fired, and both Gosinski's lawsuit and the extortion investigation against him were dropped. Before prosecutors were able to publicly disclose her addiction to pain medication, McCain preemptively revealed the story to reporters, stating that she

9728-525: The endorsement as "tepid" and said that McCain "betrayed little outward enthusiasm" during the appearance, while The New York Times wrote that "there was a tight, grudging quality to the event," and that McCain had been "looking a bit like a teenager forced to attend a classical music concert." McCain also made it clear that he was not interested in a vice-presidential nomination. When the 2000 Republican National Convention began in Philadelphia at

9856-415: The field to ensure they are frugal and their money is being spent effectively. On occasion she has criticized foreign regimes on human rights grounds, such as Myanmar's military junta . In April 2004, McCain had a near-fatal stroke caused by high blood pressure , although she was still able to attend some events. After several months of physical therapy to overcome leg and arm limitations, she made

9984-498: The first Texas governor to serve three consecutive four-year terms. When Perry won the general election on November 2, 2010 , he joined Shivers, Price Daniel , and John Connally as the only Texas governors elected to three terms (the terms served by governors Shivers, Daniel, and Connally were two-year terms). On November 8, 2022, current governor Greg Abbott was re-elected and became the fifth Texas governor to serve three terms following Shivers, Daniel, Connally and Perry. In case of

10112-460: The first night, truncated due to national attention regarding Hurricane Gustav , she appeared with First Lady Laura Bush to deliver short remarks encouraging support for hurricane relief efforts along the Gulf Coast , and on the last night, she introduced the seven McCain children and spoke about how her husband's love for his country had been passed on to them. In October 2008, she increased

10240-498: The form of consultations with the company CEO on major initiatives such as new products, new plants or employee welfare, rather than that of an active physical presence. She does not have operational control of Hensley, and Anheuser-Busch considers her to be an absentee owner. By 2007, she had an annual income of over $ 400,000 from Hensley and an estimated net worth of $ 100 million. She also owned at least $ 2.7 million worth of shares of Anheuser-Busch stock. With her children, she owns

10368-525: The genocide that Milosevic has in mind for Kosovo to continue. We are at a critical hour." He was critical of past inaction by the Clinton administration in the matter, and within days was urging that the use of ground troops not be ruled out. McCain became a very frequent guest on television talk shows discussing the conflict, and his "We are in it, now we must win it" stance drew much attention. On March 31, three American soldiers were captured by Yugoslavia;

10496-422: The ghosts of the attack-filled primary here that derailed his presidential hopes eight years ago." Total popular votes in Republican 2000 primaries: Key states: Governor of Texas The governor of Texas is the head of the state government of Texas and is the highest elected official in the state. The governor is the leader of the executive and legislative branches of the state government and

10624-450: The governor to Bill Clinton , which Bush complained was "about as low a blow as you can give in a Republican primary"; many Republicans thought comparing Bush's truthfulness to Bill Clinton's dishonesty was distasteful smear by McCain. An unidentified party began a semi-underground smear campaign against McCain, delivered by push polls , faxes, e-mails, flyers, audience plants , and the like. These claimed most famously that he had fathered

10752-570: The intensity of her public remarks against Obama's candidacy, speaking with surprising vitriol in accusing the Obama campaign of being the dirtiest in history and saying of his position against a war-funding bill, "The day that Senator Obama cast a vote not to fund my son when he was serving sent a cold chill through my body." The stresses of the campaign caused the 5-foot-7-inch (1.70 m) McCain's weight to fall under 100 pounds (45 kg). On November 4, 2008, she fought back tears in an appearance as

10880-488: The lines of this report. In July 2017, her husband was diagnosed with a glioblastoma , an aggressive brain tumor . She issued a public statement saying that, "We as a family will face the next hurdle together. One thing I do know is he is the toughest person I know. He is my hero and I love him with all my heart." Senator McCain underwent treatment, and after December 2017 no longer went to Washington, D.C., remaining in Arizona. The severity of her husband's illness led to

11008-424: The maverick side rather than those that would appeal to the party core, a lack of funds and of fund-raising prowess, and an unpredictability of personality and temperament. Potential assets included favorable treatment in the political media, as well as being featured on A&E 's Biography series, and support from veterans. National polls showed McCain with low name recognition, but once voters were asked about

11136-450: The media and still having no love for the political world, McCain was active in her husband's eventually unsuccessful campaign for President of the United States in 2000 . She mostly provided good cheer, without discussing her opinions about national policy. She impressed Republican voters with her elegance at coffee shops and other small campaign settings, where she frequently referred to her children, carpooling and charity work. McCain

11264-465: The media loved him." Some McCain aides saw the senator as naturally preferring the company of reporters to other politicians. McCain and Bush argued over their proposals for tax cuts ; McCain criticized Bush's plan as too large and too beneficial to the wealthy. McCain preferred a smaller cut that would allocate more of the surplus towards the solvency of Social Security and Medicare . McCain pushed his signature issue of campaign finance reform , and

11392-602: The men." In late 2013 and early 2014, McCain used the occasion of Super Bowl XLVIII to highlight her concerns about sex trafficking in the United States, an issue that she had begun working on in conjunction with The McCain Institute . She campaigned for legislation to address the problem at both the federal and state levels. She also served as co-chair of the Arizona Governor Jan Brewer 's Task Force on Human Trafficking. In April 2015, during

11520-452: The new start of his campaign. The book garnered largely positive reviews, and McCain went on a 15-city book tour during September. The tour's success and the book's high sales led to the themes of the memoir, which included McCain talking more about his Vietnam prisoner-of-war experience than he had in the past, becoming a major part of McCain's campaign messaging. McCain finally formally announced his candidacy on September 27, 1999, before

11648-545: The next day, McCain canceled his planned roadshow, stating "this is not an appropriate time to launch a political campaign." He received media praise for his action and continued to be a highly visible spokesman for strong action regarding Kosovo; CNN pundit Mark Shields said that, "In thirty-five years in Washington, I have never seen a debate dominated by an individual in the minority party as I've seen this one dominated by John McCain." On April 13, McCain simply issued

11776-666: The next seven years, each of which were at least two weeks in duration. AVMT also supplied treatment to poor sick children around the world. In 1993, McCain and the AVMT were honored with an award from Food for the Hungry . In 1991, the AVMT went to Dhaka, Bangladesh , to provide assistance following the 1991 Bangladesh cyclone . While at Mother Teresa 's Dhaka orphanage , the Sisters of Charity of Mother Teresa Children's Home, McCain met two infant girls she felt needed to be brought to

11904-469: The nomination season, the Iowa caucus , where his long opposition to ethanol subsidies would be unpopular and his late start and lack of base party support would hurt him in the grassroots organizing necessary for success in the state. (He had earlier skipped the August 1999 Iowa Straw Poll , labeling it a sham.) McCain focused on introducing his biographical story, especially his Vietnam and POW experiences;

12032-408: The northeastern states; in most of the rest of the country, Bush ran way well ahead of McCain among Republicans, enough to overcome McCain's strength among independents and Democrats. With little hope of overcoming Bush's delegate lead after Super Tuesday, McCain withdrew from the race on March 9, 2000. In his remarks before a crowd of supporters and onlookers with the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona as

12160-509: The other hand, a variety of business and interest groups that McCain had challenged in the past now pounded him with negative ads . The day that a new poll showed McCain five points ahead in the state, Bush allied himself on stage with a marginal and controversial veterans activist named J. Thomas Burch, who accused McCain of having "abandoned the veterans" on POW/MIA and Agent Orange issues: "He came home from Vietnam and forgot us." Incensed, McCain ran ads accusing Bush of lying and comparing

12288-467: The possibility that he would not be able to finish his term in office and that the Governor of Arizona would have to appoint a successor until a special election could be held. There is a tradition in such situations for politically involved spouses to be named as replacements, a practice known as " widow's succession ". The possibility became an issue in the 2018 Arizona gubernatorial election , where in

12416-482: The possibility. By 2018, McCain's net worth was estimated to be at least $ 200 million, with most of it still due to her share of Hensley & Co. In addition the couple owned properties in Phoenix, Sedona, the San Diego area, and in Virginia, although some properties were sold off in 2017. McCain's attitude towards President Trump took another negative turn in February 2018, following repeated public criticism by

12544-404: The previous gubernatorial term. The state's first constitution in 1845 established the office of governor, to serve for two years, but no more than four years out of every six (essentially a limit of no more than two consecutive terms). The 1861 secessionist constitution set the term start date at the first Monday in the November following the election. The 1866 constitution, adopted just after

12672-505: The primary electorate. Still reeling from his South Carolina experience, McCain made a February 28 speech in Virginia Beach that criticized Christian leaders, including Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell , as divisive; McCain declared, "... we embrace the fine members of the religious conservative community. But that does not mean that we will pander to their self-appointed leaders." He also made an off-the-cuff, unserious remark on

12800-508: The publicly poor relationship between Trump and her late husband, has been given as one of a number of reasons why Biden was able to narrowly win the 2020 United States presidential election in Arizona . In doing so Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate since 1996, and only the second since 1948, to win the state. McCain was a member of the advisory board of the Biden-Harris Transition Team, which

12928-909: The rotunda at the Arizona State Capitol , a service at the North Phoenix Baptist Church, lying in state in the United States Capitol rotunda in Washington, a service at the Washington National Cathedral , and finally burial at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery . Once it became time, McCain reportedly indicated that she was not interested in being appointed to her husband's Senate seat, as personal participation in electoral politics did not appeal to her. As one former aide stated, "It

13056-554: The rumor spreaders, "I believe that there is a special place in hell for people like those," and in another interview he called the rumor spreaders "the ugly underside of politics." McCain regretted some aspects of his own campaign there as well, in particular changing his stance on flying the Confederate flag at the state capitol from a "very offensive" "symbol of racism and slavery" to "a symbol of heritage". He would later write, "I feared that if I answered honestly, I could not win

13184-472: The same globally or locally. She envisioned herself as a possible figurehead for humanitarian work, along the lines of Diana, Princess of Wales . She continued to expand her roles in such organizations, joining in April 2008 the board of Grateful Nation Montana , which provides scholarships and services to the children of Montana service personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. She made statements critical of

13312-474: The state Republican party. McCain referred to Kyl as "a dear friend of mine and John's. It's a great tribute to John that he is prepared to go back into public service to help the state of Arizona." Following her husband's death, McCain moved back to her childhood neighborhood. She became chair of the McCain Institute's board of trustees. She also joined the family's #ActsofCivility campaign, with

13440-498: The state of American politics. In September 2019, she declaimed the Republican Party as "excluding people for the wrong reasons" and said it was no longer "the party that my husband and I belonged to." In contrast, with the 2020 United States presidential election underway, she praised Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden , saying that they were good friends to her and that "Joe has been

13568-441: The support of much of the state Republican establishment (although Rush Limbaugh and other talk radio figures were still lambasting him), and aggressively moved to thwart any smear campaign before it got started. McCain won the primary on January 19, 2008; in his victory remarks to supporters that evening, he said, "It took us awhile, but what's eight years among friends?" The New York Times described McCain's win as "exorcising

13696-497: The two men and their staffs over what had transpired during the course of 2000. While South Carolina was known for legendary hard-knuckled political consultant Lee Atwater and rough elections, this had been rougher than most. Michael Graham , a native writer, radio host, and political operative, would say "I have worked on hundreds of campaigns in South Carolina, and I've never seen anything as ugly as that campaign." In subsequent years there would be persistent accounts trying to tie

13824-506: The vote against Bush's 53 percent, allowing Bush to regain the momentum. McCain's campaign never completely recovered from his defeat in South Carolina. He did rebound partially by winning in Arizona and Michigan on February 22, mocking Governor Hull's opposition in the former. In Michigan, which he won 50 percent to 43 percent in an upset, he captured many Democratic and independent votes, who combined made up over half of

13952-712: The wake of the Access Hollywood controversy . Nonetheless, following the change in administration in Washington, in May 2017 it was reported that McCain was under consideration for a prominent role at the U.S. Department of State , possibly focusing on issues related to human trafficking. In June 2017, there were further reports that after extensive recruiting by President Trump following a recommendation from Ivanka Trump , she had agreed to become an Ambassador-at-Large dealing with matters of human trafficking, refugees, and humanitarian aid. But no announcement ever came along

14080-428: The wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama , who had said, "And let me tell you something: For the first time in my adult lifetime I am really proud of my country." McCain, who was genuinely offended by the remark, replied: "I am proud of my country. I don't know about you—if you heard those words earlier—I am very proud of my country." Also in February 2008, she publicly appeared beside her husband during

14208-608: The work Movement Therapy: A Possible Approach in 1978. Declining a role in the family business, she worked for a year as a special education teacher of children with Down syndrome and other disabilities at Agua Fria High School in Avondale, Arizona . Hensley met John McCain in April 1979 at a military reception in Honolulu, Hawaii . He was the U.S. Navy liaison officer to the United States Senate , and

14336-634: Was a non-profit organization that organized trips for doctors, nurses and other medical personnel to provide MASH -like emergency medical care to disaster-struck or war-torn developing countries such as Micronesia , Vietnam (before relations were normalized between them and the U.S. ), Kuwait (arriving five days after the conclusion of the Gulf War ), Zaire (to help refugees from the Rwandan genocide ), Iraq , Nicaragua , India , Bangladesh , and El Salvador . She led 55 of these missions over

14464-502: Was a strong candidate there: "If I had to guess why Senator McCain is doing well, it's people respect him and so do I. He's a good man." McCain traveled on a campaign bus called the Straight Talk Express, whose name capitalized on his reputation as a political maverick who would speak his mind. In visits to towns he gave a ten-minute talk focused on campaign reform issues, then announced he would stay until he answered every question that everyone had. He pledged that "I will never tell you

14592-657: Was accompanying a group of senators heading for China. She was in Hawaii on a family vacation with her parents. Hensley was talking to Jill Biden , the wife of Senator Joe Biden , who suggested that she talk to McCain; her father made the introduction. He was almost 18 years her senior; by her later description, each fudged the age they said they were to the other: "He made himself younger, and I made myself older, of course." He had been married to Carol McCain for 14 years and they had three children (two of whom he adopted from her first marriage). McCain and Hensley quickly began

14720-444: Was adopted in 1991 . McCain's parents lived across the street and helped her raise the children; her husband was frequently in Washington and she typically only saw him on weekends and holidays. In his absence, she organized elaborate fund-raisers for him and expanded their home. In April 1986, McCain and her father invested $ 359,100 in a shopping center project with Phoenix banker Charles Keating . This, combined with her role as

14848-475: Was considered an outsider who was snubbed by the Washington congressional social scene, in part because Carol McCain was a popular figure in town, and she grew homesick for Arizona. She had several miscarriages . She moved back to Arizona in early 1984 and gave birth to the couple's daughter Meghan later that year. She subsequently gave birth to sons John Sidney IV (known as "Jack") in 1986 and James (known as "Jimmy") in 1988. Their fourth child, Bridget,

14976-639: Was credited by National Republican Congressional Committee chair Tom Davis with keeping the House in Republican hands. McCain would state that he voted for Bush on November 7 (although years later several witnesses would relate that McCain and his wife Cindy had both said at a dinner party that they had not). When the November presidential election continued on in indecision during the Florida election dispute , McCain stayed generally quiet in an atmosphere of extreme partisanship, though he did appear on CBS ' Face

15104-565: Was doing so willingly: "Although my conduct did not result in compromising any missions of AVMT, my actions were wrong, and I regret them ... if what I say can help just one person to face the problem, it's worthwhile." AVMT concluded its activities in 1995 in the wake of the McCain prescription narcotics controversy. That year, McCain founded a new organization, the Hensley Family Foundation, which donates funds to children's programs nationally as well as in Arizona. She

15232-528: Was largely a stay-at-home mom during the balance of the 1990s. She also held positions as vice president, director, and vice chair of Hensley & Co. In the mid-1990s, she began suffering from severe migraine headaches , for a while keeping them secret from her husband and minimizing their effect to the rest of her family. The condition frequently resulted in visits to an emergency room . Her attacks were caused by many different migraine triggers and she tried many different treatments. Although wary of

15360-532: Was mentioned as a possible candidate for the Republican nomination beginning in 1997, but he took few steps to pursue it, instead concentrating on his 1998 senate re-election. The decision of General Colin Powell not to run helped persuade McCain that there might be an opening for him. McCain later wrote that he had a "vague aspiration" of running for president for a long time. He would also be candid about his motivation: "I didn't decide to run for president to start

15488-429: Was mixed although supportive of McCain himself, and exit polls in the primary in California showed that they strongly supported him. This was not the first or the last example of controversial remarks by McCain . A week later on March 7, 2000, he lost nine of the thirteen primaries on Super Tuesday to Bush, including large states such as California , New York , Ohio , and Georgia ; McCain's wins were confined to

15616-440: Was not limited in how much money he could spend on advertisements, while McCain was near his limit. With three days to go, McCain shut down his negative ads against Bush and tried to stress a positive image. But McCain's stressing of campaign finance reform, and how Bush's proposed tax cuts would benefit the wealthy, did not appeal to core Republicans in the state. McCain lost South Carolina on February 19, with 42 percent of

15744-490: Was relieved that the campaign was over and that, while it had been "wild and nuts" at times, it had also been "a remarkable experience to be a contender for the highest office in the land." She said the ongoing global economic crisis was adversely affecting humanitarian organizations, and she expressed hope that President Obama would be successful in dealing with it. She expressed support for LGBT rights by appearing alongside her daughter Meghan at an April 2009 convention of

15872-425: Was sometimes seen with an unsmiling countenance in her appearances. In August 2008, a member of the public shook her hand very vigorously, aggravating her existing carpal tunnel syndrome condition and causing her to slightly sprain her wrist. The campaign exacerbated her migraine headaches and she sometimes had to wear dark glasses to shield herself from bright lights. The pressures of the campaign also brought out

16000-405: Was the campaign's press officer. Craig Turk was the general counsel. After a while, a rivalry formed between Davis, at campaign headquarters, and Weaver and Murphy, who traveled on the campaign bus . Davis wanted a larger role in campaign strategy, and eventually differences between the two factions escalated to attacks made via the press. There was a crowded field of Republican candidates, but

16128-487: Was the only candidate to talk much about foreign policy and defense issues. On February 1, 2000, McCain won the primary with 49 percent of the vote to Bush's 30 percent, and suddenly was the focus of media attention. Other Republican candidates had dropped out or failed to gain traction, and McCain became Bush's only serious opponent. Analysts predicted that a McCain victory in the crucial South Carolina primary might give his insurgency campaign unstoppable momentum;

16256-446: Was the subject of much media scrutiny. McCain was compared to former first lady Nancy Reagan , due to both her style and wardrobe as well as her demeanor. Early in the campaign, some recipes attributed to McCain turned out to be copied from other sources; the campaign attributed the problem to an error by an intern. McCain spoke on both the opening and final nights of the early September 2008 Republican National Convention . On

16384-408: Was upset by the notorious smear tactics against her husband in the South Carolina primary that year. These included allegations involving her adopted daughter Bridget that she found "despicable", as well as insinuations that McCain herself was currently a drug addict. Though deeply wounded by the attacks for a long time, McCain eventually forgave those responsible. She was chosen as the chair of

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