Talk about letting the cat out of the bag:
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) acknowledged last month that with Donald Trump at the top of the Republican ticket, he could have to fight for his Senate seat harder than ever before, according to a recording from an Arizona fundraiser obtained by Politico.
"Have no doubt that if it is Donald Trump 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 in the recording published by Politico on Thursday morning.
McCain said that if you "listen or watch Hispanic media in the state and in the country, you will see that it is all anti-Trump."
The recording has been posted on Politico. Here's more from the piece:
The 2008 GOP presidential nominee is certainly the favorite in his race to win a sixth term in the Senate. But his remarks about the party’s presumptive nominee expose a deep well of concern about how Trump might damage the GOP’s chances in the battle for Senate control — especially in states like Arizona, Nevada and Florida, where Latinos make up a big chunk of voters. Republicans are defending two dozen seats this year, many in blue and purple states, vs. just 10 for Democrats — a daunting landscape even without Trump atop the ballot.
McCain has said he’ll support the nominee, and he is in better shape to hold onto his seat than many of his vulnerable Republican colleagues. But if Trump’s nomination turns out to be more than a minor drag on down-ballot Republicans, McCain — who’s expected to face Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, a credible Democratic challenger — could easily become a top target. One of his former top aides, Mark Salter, has already said he will support Hillary Clinton for president.
Trump, of course, entered the race promising to build a wall along the southern border and calling Mexican immigrants “rapists” and “murderers.” He’s toned down his rhetoric about undocumented immigrants, if only slightly, as he shifts to general election mode. But in one troubling sign for the GOP, polling in Florida this week revealed broad, lingering antipathy among Latino voters toward Trump. If that persists through the fall and extends to other states, it could cost the GOP crucial Senate seats in a year when they have almost no room for error.
Latinos make up 22 percent of eligible voters in Arizona, 18 percent in Florida, 17 percent in Nevada, 14 percent in Colorado and 10 percent in Illinois, according to Pew Research. All are states with competitive Senate elections, where GOP candidates will have to decide whether to break with Trump.
“I would argue that we are living a [Prop.] 187 moment at a national level,” said Maria Teresa Kumar, president and CEO of Voto Latino, referring to the controversial 1994 ballot measure in California widely blamed for turning the state blue. “It’s very, very tough for a senator to get out of that.”
Kirkpatrick has already been tying McCain to Trump:
And it's not just Latinos that are pissed at Trump. Women are going to be going after Trump and his “Woman’s Card" remarks:
Democrats will have female Senate candidates on the ballot in nine states in November, a near-record, and these contenders will likely be sharing the ticket with the first major-party female presidential nominee in history in Hillary Clinton.
Donald Trump, whose commanding win in Indiana cemented his improbable status as the GOP's presumptive presidential nominee, is viewed unfavorably by 70 percent of women, according to Gallup. So as discomfited Republican Senate candidates released statements trying to change the topic or have it both ways Wednesday, Democrats made plans to link their largely male opponents to Trump, aiming to win back control of the Senate in November by electing Democratic women from coast to coast.
"I'll tell you as a professional woman, too many women have had to fight Donald Trump's type of sexism and offensive rhetoric their entire lives," said Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick of Arizona, who is challenging Republican Sen. John McCain and released an early ad in February tying the incumbent to Trump.
"After 33 years in Washington John McCain has changed, and Donald Trump proves that he has changed," Kirkpatrick said in an interview, comments reflecting the Democratic approach in key Senate races across the country. "Because even after Trump's sexist and offensive rhetoric, McCain has been really clear that he would still support Trump."
We have a real shot here to finally retire McCain, we just have to make sure we get the base out to the polls. Click here to donate and get involved with Kirkpatrick’s campaign.