Former Texas Congressman and two-time Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul endorsed the Republican primary challenger to Arizona Sen. John McCain on Monday, citing her “dedication to smaller government and restoring more of our personal liberties.”
“As a physician, you have seen firsthand how ObamaCare has reduced our liberties in just a few short years,” Paul wrote in a letter to McCain’s challenger, former state legislator Dr. Kelli Ward. “During your time as state senator, you have fought to reduce the size of government and restore the liberties of Arizonans. We need to elect more people into the U.S. Senate to stand alongside my son, Rand Paul.”
McCain, whose current job approval rating among Arizona Republicans is 35 percent, faces a tough battle to maintain his Senate seat for another term. During a private fundraiser in April, the 79-year-old senator told supporters that Donald Trump’s unpopularity among Hispanics in his state will likely jeopardize his re-election campaign.
“If Donald Trump is at the top of the ticket, here in Arizona, with over 30 percent of the vote being the Hispanic vote, no doubt that this may be the race of my life,” McCain said.
Ward described Paul as the “gold standard of conservative leadership” and vowed to “take up the torch of liberty and fight tirelessly alongside Sens. Rand Paul, Mike Lee and Ted Cruz for limited, constitutional government, low taxes, free markets and a return to honest money, if she succeeds in challenging McCain and goes on to win the Senate seat.
“The ‘Ron Paul Revolution’ has inspired a new generation to fight for America’s founding principles,” she said in a statement about Paul’s endorsement. “My strong record of standing up to the leadership of both parties to dramatically reduce the size of government and return to constitutional principles is attracting them to our team.”
Conservative author and Eagle Forum founder Phyllis Schlafly has also endorsed Ward, claiming McCain has been too soft in the positions he’s taken on illegal immigration – an issue close to home for many Arizona voters.
