PHOENIX —
Jimmy McCain, son of the late Arizona senator and Republican presidential candidate John McCain, said this week that he has registered with the Democrats and will vote for Vice President Kamala Harris, a valuable show of support for the Democratic nominee in a politically swing state.
Meanwhile, Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, is scheduled to appear outside Phoenix on Wednesday at a campaign rally with the conservative youth group organizing the event, Turning Point USA, which has been instrumental in reshaping the Arizona Republican Party into a loyalist body for former President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement.
Jimmy McCain’s endorsement and Vance’s appearance with Turning Point USA reflect the disparate segments of the Republican party that Harris and Trump are trying to reach. Democrats are appealing to traditional conservatives disillusioned by Trump’s takeover of the GOP, while Republicans are looking to bolster their base and ensure that their young supporters turn out at the polls.
Jimmy McCain, 36, enlisted in the Marine Corps as a teenager and served four years. He later joined the Army National Guard. He is currently a first lieutenant.
The senator’s son said he has been an independent since leaving the Republican Party when Trump became its standard-bearer in 2016. After nine months deployed overseas, he decided to switch to the Democrats and make the announcement publicly. CNN was the first to report his decision.
He said he was “even more encouraged” by the decision after watching the Trump campaign visit Arlington National Cemetery, a visit Harris called a “political stunt” that “desecrated hallowed ground.”
Trump has had a strained relationship with the McCain family since he denigrated the senator’s war hero status during his 2016 campaign.
John McCain was shot down over North Vietnam in 1967 as a Navy pilot. He was captured, tortured and held prisoner for more than five years. In 2008 he was the Republican presidential candidate.
Jimmy McCain said he personally found it difficult to hear his father disrespected, but said his father chose to lead a public life and Americans are allowed to criticize their leaders.
“At Arlington, the people buried there gave their lives and made the ultimate sacrifice,” McCain said. “They had no political opinion… We don’t know how they felt, what they thought, what those people believed. We know they believed in their country, and that’s all.”
