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| John McCain for President 2008 | |
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| Campaign | |
| Candidate |
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| Affiliation | Republican Party |
| Status | Announced: February 28, 2007 Presumptive nominee: March 4, 2008 Official nominee: September 3, 2008 Lost election: November 4, 2008 |
| Headquarters | Arlington, Virginia |
| Key people | Steve Schmidt (operations chief)[1] Rick Davis (campaign manager) Robert Mosbacher (general chairman) Tom Loeffler (co-chair) Tim Pawlenty (co-chair)[2] Jill Hazelbaker (spokeswoman)[3] |
| Receipts | US$370 million (December 31, 2007) |
| Slogan | Country First The Original Maverick Best Prepared to Lead from Day One Courageous Service, Experienced Leadership, Bold Solutions. A leader we can believe in Reform • Prosperity • Peace |
| Theme song | "My Hero" by Foo Fighters[4] |
| Chant | 'Maverick Drill, Baby, Drill!' |
| Website | |
| JohnMcCain.com (archived – November 4, 2008) | |
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 2008 U.S. presidential election | |
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| Democratic Party | |
| Republican Party | |
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The 2008 presidential campaign of John McCain, the longtime senior U.S. Senator from Arizona, was launched with an informal announcement on February 28, 2007, during a live taping of the Late Show with David Letterman, and formally launched at an event on April 25, 2007. His second candidacy for the Presidency of the United States, he had previously run for his party's nomination in the 2000 primaries and was considered as a potential running mate for his party's nominee, then-Governor George W. Bush of Texas. After winning a majority of delegates in the Republican primaries of 2008, on August 29, leading up to the convention, McCain selected Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate for Vice President. Five days later, at the 2008 Republican National Convention, McCain was formally selected as the Republican Party presidential nominee in the 2008 presidential election.
McCain began the campaign as the apparent frontrunner among Republicans, with a strategy of appearing as the establishment, inevitable candidate; his campaign website featured an Associated Press article describing him as " political celebrity".[5] He made substantial overtures towards elements of the Republican base that had resisted his 2000 insurgency campaign.[6] However, he soon fell behind in polls and fundraising; by July 2007 his campaign was forced to restructure its size and operations. The tide of Republican sentiment against immigration reform legislation he sponsored also led to the erosion of his lead.[6]
Towards the end of 2007, McCain began a resurgence, which was capped by his January 2008 wins in the New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Florida primaries. This made him the front-runner for the Republican nomination. On Super Tuesday, McCain won both the majority of states and delegates in the Republican primaries, giving him a commanding lead toward the Republican nomination. McCain clinched a majority of the delegates and became the presumptive Republican nominee with wins in several more primaries on March 4.[7] The following day, President George W. Bush endorsed McCain at the White House.
In the general election, facing Democratic nominee, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, McCain was trailing during most of the season, only gaining a lead in national polls for a period after the Palin announcement and the 2008 Republican National Convention. The dominant issue of the campaign became the financial crisis of 2007–2008. Unable to gain traction against Obama in presidential debates, the final stages of the campaign saw McCain criticizing Obama for being a "redistributionist" and adopting symbols such as Joe the Plumber.
On November 4, 2008, McCain lost to Barack Obama in the general election, receiving 173 votes of the electoral college to Obama's 365 and gaining 46 percent of the popular vote to Obama's 53 percent. Had McCain been elected, he would have been the first president not born in a U.S. state, as he was born in the Panama Canal Zone (a U.S. territory at the time of McCain's birth). McCain would have also been the first president from the state of Arizona, and he would have become the oldest elected president. This would have surpassed Ronald Reagan's age of 69, whereas Palin would have been the first female vice president, as well as the first vice president from Alaska and outside the mainland United States, and Todd Palin would have also became the first second gentleman of the United States.
Leading up to the announcement
McCain's oft-cited strengths[8] as a potential presidential candidate in 2008 included national name recognition, sponsorship of major lobbying and campaign finance reform initiatives and leadership in exposing the Abramoff scandal.[9][10]
He was well known for his military service (including years as a tortured POW) and competing in the 2000 presidential campaign, in which he won the New Hampshire primary before eventually losing the nomination to George W. Bush. McCain also impressed many Republicans with his strong support for President Bush's re-election campaign in 2004, and his role in the confirmation of many of Bush's judicial nominees.[8] Since 1993, he also has served as chairman of the International Republican Institute, a U.S. government-funded organization involved in supporting political democracy around the world.
A Time magazine poll dated January 2007 showed McCain deadlocked with possible Democratic opponent Senator Hillary Clinton at 46%; in the same poll McCain trailed Democratic senator Barack Obama 41% to 48%.[11] An earlier Time poll indicated that more Americans were familiar with McCain than any of the other frontrunners, including Obama and Republican candidate and former Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani.[12] During the 2006 election cycle, McCain attended 346 events and raised more than $10.5 million on behalf of Republican candidates. He also donated nearly $1.5 million to federal, state and county parties.[13]
In May 2006, McCain gave the commencement address at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University. During his 2000 presidential bid, McCain had called Falwell an "agent of intolerance." With significant coverage during the campaign, McCain said that he would never back down from his earlier statement. His later appearance at Liberty University prompted questions about the McCain–Falwell relationship and a possible presidential run in 2008. McCain backtracked and stated that Falwell is no longer as divisive and the two have discussed their shared values.[14] McCain delivered a similar address at The New School commencement in Madison Square Garden. McCain was booed, and several students and professors turned their backs or waved fliers reading "McCain does not speak for me."[15] McCain's speech mentioned his unwavering support for the Iraq War and focused on hearing opposing viewpoints, listening to each other, and the relevance of opposition in a democracy.[16]
Announcement
McCain informally announced his candidacy on the Wednesday, February 28, 2007, telecast of the Late Show with David Letterman.[17]
He then announced his formal candidacy for the presidency of the United States and in turn, his intention to seek the nomination of the Republican Party for the 2008 presidential election, shortly after noon in Prescott Park on the waterfront of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on Wednesday, April 25, 2007. In his announcement, McCain emphasized that "America should never undertake a war unless we are prepared to do everything necessary to succeed," and he also stated that, "I'm not running for President to be somebody, but to do something; to do the hard but necessary things not the easy and needless things."[18][19] The audience was somewhat listless.[20] He then visited Saint Anselm College and several other spots around Manchester, New Hampshire, on a cold rainy day,[20] before starting a planned three-day campaign rally in South Carolina, Iowa, Nevada, and Arizona.
Campaign staff and policy team
On July 2, 2008, Steve Schmidt was given "full operational control" of McCain's campaign.[1] Schmidt had managed Arnold Schwarzenegger's 2006 re-election and was a top Dick Cheney aide.[1] Rick Davis had the title of McCain's campaign manager throughout 2008, but his role was reduced when Schmidt was given control.[1]
Davis was previously the campaign's chief executive, and had become campaign manager when John Weaver, McCain's chief aide, and Terry Nelson, his previous campaign manager, resigned on July 11, 2007.[21] Davis was also campaign manager during McCain's 2000 presidential campaign, when Weaver had been McCain's chief campaign strategist.[22] In 2005 and 2006, U.S. intelligence warned McCain's Senate staff about the Senator's involvement with Davis, who was then a lobbyist in business with Paul Manafort, but U.S. intelligence gave no further warnings about Davis's Russian connections when Davis was McCain's national campaign manager from July 2007 to November 2008.[23][24][25]
Other top staffers included McCain's former chief of staff Mark Salter and long-time political strategist Charlie Black who worked for Reagan, both Bushes and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham. Former Bush advisor Mark McKinnon also worked for the campaign before leaving in May 2008 to avoid working against Barack Obama.[26] Jill Hazelbaker was the campaign's chief spokeswoman.[3] McCain's press secretary was Melissa Shuffield.[27]
Neoconservative pundit Bill Kristol served as a foreign policy advisor.[28][29] Randy Scheunemann, a board member of the Project for the New American Century, was hired in January 2007 as McCain's foreign-policy aide.[30] He was the top advisor for security and international issues. Douglas Holtz-Eakin was a senior policy adviser, Nicolas Muzin was medical advisor and Nicolle Wallace was senior adviser on message.[31][32]
Political positions
Campaign developments 2007
Initial stages
By a few weeks prior to making his announcement on Letterman, McCain was already beginning to trail behind former Mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani in the polls, a situation attributed to his steadfast support for the Iraq War troop surge of 2007.[33]
In March 2007, with considerable press attention and in hopes of reigniting his efforts, McCain brought back the "Straight Talk Express" campaign bus that he had used to much positive effect in his outsider run in 2000.[34] Like many candidates, McCain took to the internet in order to help boost his campaign; appealing to younger audiences by creating Facebook and MySpace pages, along with an account on YouTube.[citation needed]
Claims about Iraq safety
McCain supported the Iraq War troop surge of 2007 proposed by President George W. Bush.[35] On March 28, 2007, McCain said that, "General Petraeus goes out almost every day in an unarmed humvee".[36] On March 29, CNN's John Roberts reported, "I checked with General Petraeus's people overnight and they said he never goes out in anything less than an up-armored humvee."[37] On the same day, McCain also said that, "There are neighborhoods in Baghdad where you and I could walk through those neighborhoods, today... The US is beginning to succeed in Iraq."[38] On the same day, retired U.S. Army General Barry McCaffrey issued a report saying, "... no Iraqi government official, coalition soldier, diplomat, reporter could walk the streets of Baghdad without heavily armed protection".[37]
On April 1, 2007, McCain and other lawmakers visited a Baghdad market and claimed that "things are better and there are encouraging signs".[39] The visit was accompanied by enormous security measures, as McCain himself wore a bullet-proof vest, and was surrounded by more than 100 troops and escorted by attack helicopters.[40] The day after McCain's visit, 21 workers and children from the market were killed in a suicide bombing.[41]
Missed votes in Senate
In May 2007, it was reported that McCain had missed 42 consecutive votes (five straight weeks) in the Senate while he was conducting his presidential campaign. From March to May, McCain only attended three-floor votes in the Senate, though none of McCain's missed votes altered a bill's fate.[42] According to Washington Post statistics, McCain missed more votes than any senator including Tim Johnson, who missed many votes after suffering a brain hemorrhage in December 2006. As of August 2008, McCain had missed 63.8% of votes in the 110th Congress during his campaign.[43] Because of their majority status, Senate Democrats could sometimes delay votes in order to accommodate the schedules of Democratic presidential candidates.[44]
Immigration bill
As early as 2005, McCain conducted bipartisan efforts with fellow Senator Ted Kennedy to create a bill—the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act—that would have changed America's immigration policy and provide a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the country.[45] Later McCain championed the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007.
Iowa Straw Poll
In June 2007, McCain drew some criticism for dropping out of the August Iowa Straw Poll.[46] Some Republican officials felt the move could be seen as "dissing Iowa."[46] In response, a man in a chicken suit, known as the Iowa Chicken, began demonstrating at McCain's appearances in Iowa and carrying a sign reading "you balked at the straw poll."[47][48] Despite this, McCain maintained that he was still planning on competing in the Iowa Caucus.[49] Some political observers have opined that the Straw Poll results are bought by campaigns.[46]
However, polls taken in June showed that McCain's Iowa support had dropped to the single digits, from the mid-20s to 6%.[50]
Campaign downsizing and restructuring
McCain's second quarter 2007 fundraising results and campaign financials were poor. Both McCain supporters and political observers pointed to McCain's support for the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, very unpopular among the Republican base electorate, as a primary cause of his fundraising problems.[51][52]
Large-scale campaign staff downsizing took place in early July, with 50 to 100 staffers let go and others taking pay cuts or switching to no pay. McCain's aides said the campaign was considering taking public matching funds, and would focus its efforts on the early primary and caucus states. McCain however said he was not considering dropping out of the race.[51][52]
Fellow Senator, but Immigration Reform Act opponent, Tom Coburn, wrote a piece for National Review praising McCain for showing great political courage in sticking behind the Act even though it was damaging his presidential hopes.[53]
Campaign shakeups reached the top level on July 10, 2007, when campaign manager Terry Nelson and campaign chief strategist John Weaver both departed. Another senior aide and co-author of McCain's books, Mark Salter, reduced his role in the campaign as well (he would later return to a full role).[54] McCain's co-chair for his Florida campaign, State Rep Bob Allen, was arrested on July 11, 2007, on charges of sexual solicitation (prostitution).[55] In addition, on July 16, 2007, nine members of McCain's staff, including Brian Jones, McCain's communications director, and two deputies, Matt David and Danny Diaz, announced their resignations.[56]
"Living off the Land"
Following the upheaval, the new McCain campaign put out a plan for how to continue on. Entitled "Living Off the Land: A Plan for Financial Viability", it called for expenses to be greatly cut and for McCain to take advantage of free media such as debates and sponsored events.[57] McCain would focus on the early caucus and primary states, instead of trying to run a nationally-scoped effort, would try to "win debates and outperform other candidates," and thereby regain momentum and recapture the faith of potential donors.[57]
McCain's strategy was hampered by several other events within the Republicans dominating the political discussion in the ensuing months: Fred Thompson's entry into the race in early September; the focus in debates over battles between Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney;[58] and the discussion over the impact of Romney's religion.[58] Mike Huckabee's sudden surge from the second tier into near-frontrunner status dominated much of the news in November and December 2007.[58] Nevertheless, McCain persevered, riding his "Straight Talk Express" bus through New Hampshire and, as in the past, granting reporters and bloggers far more direct access than would other campaigns.[59]
December 2007: Comeback
In the final months before the caucuses and primaries began, McCain had still not quite reclaimed his previous front-runner status. However, the Republican race was quite unsettled, with none of the top-tier candidates dominating the race and all of them possessing major vulnerabilities. Huckabee's ascendence was damaging to Romney, as they traded shots during the days leading up to the Iowa caucuses. Romney and Huckabee put much of their early efforts into Iowa, making the caucus particularly crucial for each of them.[61] Giuliani's campaign was suffering from conflicts regarding strategy, damaging revelations about his personal life and the federal indictment of longtime ally and friend Bernard Kerik.[62][63] Thompson's campaign had not gained momentum after his late entry to the race and had been described as "lackluster".[64] Through November, McCain had put little effort into Iowa,[58] instead focusing on New Hampshire, where he had staged a big win in his 2000 campaign. By mid-December McCain had climbed back to second place in some New Hampshire polls, and also hoped to benefit from independents, who are able to vote in the New Hampshire Republican primary.[65] Political observers also saw McCain as the "second choice" of many voters, one who could benefit from the troubles of Romney and Giuliani in particular.
McCain's candidacy in New Hampshire was bolstered by a December 2 endorsement from the often-influential New Hampshire Union Leader.[66] This was followed by an endorsement from The Boston Globe, which is circulated within New Hampshire, on December 15.[67] He was endorsed by the smaller Portsmouth Herald on December 16,[68] and by the Boston Herald on December 20.[69] The Boston Herald endorsement prompted McCain to state in an ad that "Romney's hometown newspaper says the choice is clear: John McCain".[70] These coincided with an unusual national candidate-level, cross-party endorsement of McCain by 2000 Democratic vice-presidential nominee Joe Lieberman on December 16;[71] the McCain camp hoped that this would help him appeal to independent voters in New Hampshire.[68] McCain also won the endorsement of the influential Des Moines Register in Iowa,[72] which surprised even McCain because he had not focused many resources on the state, and because of his opposition to federal subsidies for ethanol—a favorite issue of Iowan farmers.[68] By a few days before Christmas, there were multiple press reports of a "McCain surge", with poll numbers improving both in early states—including Iowa—and nationwide.[73][74] The New Hampshire resurgence was further confirmed by Romney now changing the focus of his criticisms from Giuliani to McCain.[75] By the time the Concord Monitor endorsed him on December 29, over twenty New Hampshire papers, large and small, had given him their nods.[76] Some political analysts cautioned that even if the McCain campaign staged some surprise early showings or victories, it was still short on the money and ground organization necessary to exploit a breakthrough.[74] Conservative columnist Robert Novak, though, predicted on December 27 that if McCain could win New Hampshire, he would be the favorite to "sweep through subsequent primaries despite meager finances and organization". Novak also stated that McCain was seen by Republican insiders as the "best bet" to win the nomination and the candidate most likely to defeat a Democrat in the November general election.[77]
When the close proximity of the first contests to the holidays prompted many candidates to release Christmas videos—allowing them to continue presenting their messages, but in more seasonal settings[78]—McCain chose one which told his Good Samaritan story of a POW camp guard in North Vietnam who undid his torture ropes for a night and then later drew a cross in the dirt for him on Christmas Day.[78][79]
The December 27 assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto drew responses from all of the major candidates.[80] McCain, a longtime member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called attention to his foreign policy experience, as well as his personal interaction with Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf. He also drew a contrast with his main Republican rivals, who did not have experience in foreign policy matters.[81][82] Many observers saw McCain as the candidate most likely to benefit from a heightened focus on international events.[83][84][85]
Caucuses and primaries 2008
Iowa
The first vote of the 2008 election season took place in the Iowa caucuses on January 3, 2008. McCain came in fourth place, with 13.1% of the vote. Mike Huckabee was the winner with 34%.[86][87] Because McCain, unlike Romney and Huckabee, had not focused on Iowa early, his campaign officials said they were satisfied with his placement.[86] Many political observers considered Huckabee's easy win a blow to Romney, McCain's main rival in New Hampshire. Romney spent about five times as much as Huckabee on advertising in Iowa.[88][89]
New Hampshire
The New Hampshire primaries came only five days after Iowa. McCain's rising New Hampshire poll numbers indicated that he could benefit from Romney's poor Iowa showing.[90][91] McCain participated in a January 5 debate along with Romney, Giuliani, Huckabee, Thompson and Paul. The debate particularly highlighted differences between McCain and Romney, as the two traded shots on the immigration issue.[92] Polls in the days leading up to the vote showed McCain leading Romney in a tight race, and all candidates campaigned in the state in the days following the Iowa vote.[93][94][95] McCain held over 100 of his signature town hall-style meetings in the state, in many cases repeating visits that he had made during his successful 2000 primary there.[96] A "pivotal moment" for the campaign came a month before the primary, when the New Hampshire Union Leader endorsed McCain.[97] Despite McCain's resurgence, his campaign was still strapped for funds: top-level staff was working without paychecks, commercials were being prepared at cost, and event mailers were only a quarter of what he was able to send out in his 2000 campaign.[96]
A strong performance in the ABC, Facebook Debates at Saint Anselm College, combined with months of hard work from his dedicated staff resulted in McCain winning the New Hampshire primary,[98] gaining about 37 percent of the vote to Mitt Romney's 32 percent.[98] Amid chants of "Mac is back!", McCain made his victory remarks. "When the pundits declared us finished, I told them, 'I'm going to New Hampshire where the voters don't let you make their decisions for them... I'm going to New Hampshire, and I'm going to tell people the truth.'"[98]
Michigan
With different winners in Iowa and New Hampshire—and Mitt Romney taking the lower-profile Wyoming caucus—the January 15 Michigan primary loomed as an important battle, despite the state's delegation size being cut in half for holding the primary too early. Polls after New Hampshire showed a tight race between McCain and Romney, with Huckabee a close third.[99][100] Many saw Michigan as Romney's last chance for a campaign-saving win after disappointments in the first two races.[101][102] Others said that a win in Michigan could cement McCain's status as the "front-runner" for the nomination.[103] McCain's campaign garnered about $1 million in newly contributed funds immediately after the New Hampshire win,[104] but still had $3.5 million in bank debt.[105] He was not alone in feeling a financial pinch; the entire Republican field suffered from a lack of enthusiasm and lower donations than the Democratic candidates were receiving.[104]
Nevertheless, some polls showed McCain getting a significant national bounce from his New Hampshire win; the January 11 CNN nationwide poll had him leading with 34 percent support, a 21-point increase from where he had been just a month before.[106] As the Michigan race entered its final days, McCain gained some notoriety by sending out mailers there and in South Carolina attacking Romney's tax record and touting his own. A Romney campaign spokesman called the ad "as sloppy as it is factually incorrect", and FactCheck.org called the piece "misleading". McCain responded by saying, "It's not negative campaigning. I think it's what his record is." "It's a tough business," he added.[107][108][109]
The dominant issue in Michigan was the state of the economy. Michigan had by far the nation's largest unemployment rate, at 7.4 percent, and was continuing to lose jobs from its historical manufacturing base.[110] McCain offered a bit of his "straight talk" strategy, saying that "There are some jobs that aren't coming back to Michigan," and proposing federal job training plans and other remedies to compensate.[110] Romney seized on McCain's statement as overly pessimistic and promoted instead his family heritage—" got the automobile industry in my blood veins"—as well as his being a Washington outsider who would go there and "turn Washington inside out."[110]
In the end, McCain finished second in the primary behind Romney, gaining 30 percent of the vote to Romney's 39 percent.[111]
South Carolina and Nevada
The campaign then moved towards the January 19 South Carolina primary, the state which effectively ended McCain's 2000 campaign for president. Unlike 2000, McCain had the support of much of the state Republican establishment, both in terms of endorsements and campaign staff support.[112] Nevertheless a bit of 2000 surfaced when a group of unknown size called "Vietnam Veterans Against John McCain" set up a website and began sending crude mailers to media members alleging that McCain passed military information to the North Vietnamese during his time as a POW.[113] McCain set up a Truth Squad to combat such attacks and emphasized that he was supported by 75 former POWs.[113] Orson Swindle, who was a POW with McCain, called the flier a "vicious" fraud. "Nothing could be further from the truth," Swindle said. "I know because I was there. The truth is, the North Vietnamese offered John McCain early release, and he refused."[114] After that, however, there was little in the way of dirty tricks during the rest of the campaign.[115]
McCain won the South Carolina primary on January 19, gaining 33% of the vote compared to second-place finisher Mike Huckabee's 30%,[116] winning groups he usually did well with, such as veterans and seniors, and doing well enough with other groups, such as evangelicals.[112] In his victory remarks to supporters that evening, he said, "It took us awhile, but what's eight years among friends?," noting the reversal of fortune from his 2000 defeat there.[117] Indeed, The New York Times described McCain's win as "exorcising the ghosts of the attack-filled primary here that derailed his presidential hopes eight years ago."[117] Pundits credited third-place finisher Fred Thompson with drawing votes from Huckabee in South Carolina, thereby giving a narrow victory to McCain.[118]
There had been a steady barrage of apocalyptic statements and predictions in the days before the South Carolina vote from movement conservative icons:[119] Rush Limbaugh said that if Huckabee or McCain won the nomination, it would "destroy the Republican Party... be the end of it,"[119] while Tom DeLay said "McCain has done more to hurt the Republican Party than any elected official I know of."[119] Other talk radio hosts also subjected McCain to criticism for being insufficiently conservative. Prominent conservative radio host Michael Medved said after McCain's win that talk radio was the "big loser" of the primary, adding that the medium has "unmistakably collapsed in terms of impact, influence and credibility because of its hysterical and one-dimensional involvement in the GOP nomination fight."[120]
The Nevada caucus the same day drew less attention from Republican candidates, although the state had 31 delegates at stake compared to South Carolina's 24.[121][122] McCain did not seriously compete in Nevada,[123] and finished third with 13% of the vote, finishing behind both Romney and Ron Paul.[124]
Florida
The race then moved to the January 29 Florida primary. This would be a test for McCain among core Republican voters, as unlike New Hampshire and South Carolina, independents and Democrats would not be able to vote in the Republican primary.[125] McCain, Giuliani and Romney were closely matched in pre-election polls, and the contest was seen as important to each campaign, as it was the last primary before Super Tuesday, when 41% of the total delegates were up for grabs. It was also the first time that Rudy Giuliani would seriously compete for delegates since a partial effort in New Hampshire, and the first primary after Fred Thompson withdrew his candidacy.[126][127]
A January 24 debate at Florida Atlantic University was sedate, with none of the candidates attacking each other and economics the predominant theme.[128] By the next day, however, McCain and Romney were going at each other, with McCain accusing Romney of having once advocated timetables for withdrawal from Iraq, and Romney saying that was untrue—an assessment shared by news organizations, which labeled McCain's charge as misleading[129]—and demanding an apology. Certain statements dogged McCain. NBC News' Tim Russert during a debate raised a McCain quote in which McCain said, "I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues. I still need to be educated."[130][131]
Romney seized on these and declared that he, not McCain, was the right choice to lead the country during times of economic uncertainty. On the day before the vote, McCain slammed Romney for flip-flopping, while Romney released a "top ten list" of times McCain had attacked fellow Republicans.[132] Both candidates used the ultimate Republican insult, calling each other a liberal.[133] Overall, McCain was outspent by Romney on Florida television ads by a 3-to-1 margin.[134] Conservative talk radio continued to hammer McCain, with Laura Ingraham saying she was "concerned about the mental stability of the McCain campaign" and Mark Levin continuing his practice of calling him "John McLame".[135]
As the election neared, Giuliani slumped to a battle for third place with Huckabee, while McCain and Romney each had polls showing them in the lead. McCain garnered the late endorsements of Florida Senator and former Chairman of the Republican National Committee Mel Martinez[136] and the highly popular Governor of Florida, Charlie Crist;[136] Crist had reportedly pledged his support to Giuliani, and the Giuliani campaign was described as "visibly upset" by the McCain endorsement.[137]
On January 29, 2008, McCain won the Florida primary and the state's 57 delegates, taking 36% of the total vote. Romney was second with 31% and Giuliani was third at 15%.[138]
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