JD Hayworth is John McCain Challenger

It looks like JD Hayworth will challenge Arizona Senator John McCain in the November elections. Hayworth has not made a formal announcement but has said he is "moving forward" toward the senate race.

JD Hayworth

 JD Hayworth is a former U.S. representative, serving in the House for Arizona's 5th district, from 1995 - 2007. Hayworth began hosting his own radio show in Spring 2007 at Phoenix KFYI, but resigned it yesterday with indications that he has a senate race in his future.

In November 2009, a poll for the 2010 Republican Senate nomination in Arizona showed Hayworth in a dead heat with McCain. McCain is a formidable fundraiser. Hayworth, if he decides to run, will face some $12 million already in McCain's re-election coffers. 

In about everyway I can gauge, Hayworth is a staunch conservative, unlike McCain, however McCain is already attacking Hayworth for his support various earmarks. McCain is a long-time, very vocal critic of any and all earmarks, but after all the years he has had to do something about them, he has not convinced a single member of the Senate to follow in his footsteps.

Perhaps the most pressing issue facing this country, other than the deficit, is amnesty, which will come roaring back in the Time of Obama. JD Hayworth will not waiver in his stance against illegal migrant amnesty.

After 12 years in the House of Representatives, Hayworth scored a lifetime conservative rating of 97.6 from 2006 AcuRatings. McCain on the other hand scored 81.4 lifetime in 2008. He was slightly more conservative in 2006, scoring 82.

I predict Hayworth will have huge grassroots support if he does run.

McCain is clearly in trouble among the party faithful in his own backyard. McCain was clobbered in a straw poll conducted at the Maricopa County Republican Party (Phoenix metro) Convention. According to precinct committee persons in attendance, McCain earned only 10.5 percent of the vote while Hayworth earned 68 percent.

According to Huffington Post, Hayworth said KFYI, owned by Clear Channel, had ordered him not to discuss Senator McCain, anything related to a possible senate race, and particularly not to defend himself against the attack ads McCain has already begun airing against this man who is not yet his opponent.

This interesting tidbit also from HuffPo:

Friday morning, Rasmussen released a new poll that was conducted right after McCain announced that his former vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, will be traveling to Arizona to campaign for McCain. Politicos had been speculating whether Palin would campaign for fellow Tea Party darling Hayworth or former running mate McCain. The new Rasmussen poll has McCain up by 22 points (53-31).

A curious comment from HotlineOnCall:

Meanwhile, Dems say they will become more serious about AZ if Hayworth's challenge looks like a serious threat to McCain, who otherwise would likely get a pass from the national party.

Here's a promising sign. The liberal Mother Jones website says Dems should be encouraged because "Hayworth's candidacy would be awful for the GOP." Why? Because he's "too conservative for a general election battle." Liberals still don't get it.

At this moment, McCain is facing Democrat Rodolpho "Rudy" Garcia, not to be confused with Rodolpho "Rudy" Garcia, a Florida Republican state senator. Arizona Garcia says he is against everything John McCain is for.

It's Happy Dance time when John McCain is challenged by a true conservative. 

Others Talking about JD Hayworth:
Stop the ACLU
RedState

Others Talking about John McCain
Michelle Malkin
LeftCoastRebel