John McCain: A Donald Trump nomination could make my re-election a challenge

PHOENIX — Donald Trump’s presumptive Republican presidential nomination could make incumbent Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) latest re-election bid difficult.

“This time is going to be a very tough campaign,” he told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Mac & Gaydos on Thursday.

McCain, who has represented Arizona in the Senate for nearly 30 years, said he thinks it is “entirely possible” that a Trump nomination could have a negative effect on his re-election campaign.

McCain did not walk as fine a line when speaking with Politico. The website said McCain described the upcoming election as “the race of my life” because Trump is polling so poorly with Hispanic voters.

“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,” he told the website.

McCain told Mac & Gaydos that he views every election as the most important race in which he has ever ran.

“I take this one seriously,” he said.

So seriously, in fact, that McCain has decided to skip July’s Republican National Convention in Cleveland, where Trump would presumably be named the party’s presidential nominee. McCain insisted that it has nothing to do with Trump, but instead his own re-election concerns.

He has never skipped a national convention in favor of a campaign.

“It (the convention) didn’t conflict as much as it does now,” McCain said. “I need to spend the time campaigning in Arizona.”

Though McCain may be somewhat concerned with his re-election, he said he is “confident” the voters of Arizona will make the right choice.

“My advantage is that 100 percent of the people in Arizona know me,” he said. “They will be voting for or against me on me and the long years of service I’ve had for them.”