GOP rival: McCain an Obama ‘enabler’

Former Rep. J.D. Hayworth of Arizona said in an interview Monday that his planned primary challenge to Sen. John McCain will portray the four-term incumbent as an insufficiently conservative Republican who has "enabled" President Obama and his failed economic and national-security policies.

"I'm giving Arizona Republicans a clear choice between a consistent, common-sense conservative … or someone who describes himself as a maverick, but is a moderate," the outspoken Mr. Hayworth told The Washington Times' "America's Morning News" radio show.

Mr. Hayworth, 51, quit his job Friday as a conservative radio talk-show host — a show he has broadcast since losing his congressional seat in 2007 — and said he is preparing to formally announce his run later this week.

While Mr. McCain has led the opposition to the president's health care reform, Mr. Hayworth said the party's 2008 presidential nominee has "enabled" Mr. Obama by supporting the $700 billion Wall Street bailout, first passed under President George W. Bush. And Mr. Cain's opposition to using "enhanced interrogation techniques" on suspected terrorist detainees paved the way for Mr. Obama to order the FBI to expand legal rights and protections to terrorism suspects, Mr. Hayworth said.

"We have to live up to the conduct of the signatories of the Geneva Convention, while our Islamic fascist enemy beheads our soldiers, the ultimate torture," said Mr. Hayworth.

Mr. Cain's staff and campaign committee did not respond to several attempts for comment Monday.

While Republicans are expressing mounting optimism about their prospects in the 2010 midterm elections, Mr. McCain is one of several leading party figures who faces an intraparty challenge from the right this year.

In Utah, Republican Sen. Robert F. Bennett, seeking a fourth term, is already facing four conservative challengers and has been targeted by the influential conservative group the Club for Growth. In Florida, national Republican party leaders strongly backed the Senate run of moderate Republican Gov. Charlie Crist, but conservative activists in the party are flocking to former Republican state House Speaker Marco Rubio.

Mr. McCain, who flaunted his independence from his own party and his reputation as a "maverick" in the 2008 race, has never been a favorite of the party's more conservative wing.

But defeating Mr. Cain, 73, will be a difficult considering his popularity, his name recognition in the state and his ability to raise funds. Mr. McCain will also benefit from endorsements from popular party figures, such as former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, his 2008 running mate, and Massachusetts Sen.-elect Scott Brown.

Early polls show Mr. Cain with a double-digit lead over Mr. Hayworth, but the Republican primary will not be held until Aug. 24.

Mr. Hayworth was elected to Congress in 1994 as part of a historic Republican landslide and is a strong advocate for border security and tougher immigration laws. He was defeated in 2006 by moderate Democrat Rep. Harry Mitchell, a former state senator and mayor of Tempe, in a year in which Democrats reclaimed control of both the House and Senate.

Mr. Hayworth's recent attacks on Mr. McCain have sparked the senator to begin running ads that accusing Mr. Hayworth of being one of the biggest spenders during his time in Congress. The outspoken Mr. Hayworth told The Washington Times he wished Mr. McCain had shown the same passion and aggressiveness while running for president, citing Mr. McCain's refusal to exploit racial comments by Mr. Obama's pastor that surfaced during the campaign.

"I just wonder where that energy was in the presidential campaign, with reference to both Barack Hussein Obama and the Rev. [Jeremiah A.] Wright," Mr. Hayworth said.

But he added he respects Mr. Cain and the primary challenge is not personal. He said he was recruited by frustrated state conservatives to make the run.

Mr. McCain "has been in Washington too long," Mr. Hayworth said. "Arizona Republicans have asked me to step forward. … I was perfectly happy being a broadcaster."

About the Author

Joseph Weber

Joseph Weber is a congressional reporter, his first job upon coming to Washington in 1992. Mr. Weber joined The Washington Times in 2002 as a metro desk editor and ran the section for several years, working on such stories as the Virginia Tech massacre, the Supreme Court case on the District’s handgun law, the D.C. snipers and the 2008 presidential ...

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