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Democratic and liberal support for John McCain in 2008

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Senator John McCain, the Republican Party nominee, was endorsed or supported by some members of the Democratic Party and by some political figures holding liberal views in the 2008 United States presidential election. McCain Democrat and McCainocrat are terms applied to Democrats who supported McCain.[1][2][3][4]

"Democrats for McCain" sign at a McCain campaign rally in Albuquerque
A woman wearing a sign saying, "Another Democrat for McCain/Palin"

Democratic and liberal supporters of McCain included some elected officials, retired elected officials, journalists, and some supporters of Hillary Clinton's unsuccessful primary campaign. According to exit polls on Election Day, 10% of those who identified themselves as Democrats voted for John McCain, approximately the same percentage of Democratic votes that George W. Bush won in 2004.[5]

History of the term "McCain Democrat"

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The term "McCain Democrat" first appeared during McCain's 2000 primary campaign. McCain garnered attention for reportedly having cross-party appeal.[6] In Texas, Charles Gandy explicitly ran for the Senate as a "McCain Democrat."[7]

Joe Lieberman

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The most well-known Democratic Party member to support McCain was Senator Joe Lieberman, who had run for vice-president as a Democrat in 2000. On December 17, 2007, Lieberman endorsed McCain,[8] contradicting his stance in July 2006 where he stated, "I want Democrats to be back in the majority in Washington and elect a Democratic president in 2008."[9] Lieberman cited his agreement with McCain's stance on the War on Terrorism as the primary reason for the endorsement.[10]

On June 5, Lieberman launched "Citizens for McCain," hosted on the McCain campaign website, to recruit Democratic support for John McCain's candidacy. He emphasized the group's outreach to supporters of Hillary Clinton, who was at that time broadly expected to lose the Democratic presidential nomination to Barack Obama.[11] Citizens for McCain was prominently featured in McCain team efforts to attract disgruntled Hillary Clinton supporters such as Debra Bartoshevich.[12][13]

Lieberman spoke at the 2008 Republican National Convention on behalf of McCain and his running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.[14] Lieberman was alongside McCain and Senator Lindsey Graham during a visit to French president Nicolas Sarkozy on March 21, 2008.[15]

Republican vice president talk

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Lieberman was mentioned as a possible vice presidential nominee on a McCain ticket.[16][17] ABC News reported that Lieberman was McCain's first choice for vice president until several days before the selection, when McCain had decided that picking Lieberman would alienate the conservative base of the Republican Party, due to his left-of-center positions on social issues.[18] Lieberman had been mentioned as a possible secretary of state under a McCain administration.[19] In 2018 McCain confirmed that his advisers had counseled him to not pick Lieberman for the ticket, and that he regretted following their advice.[20]

Fallout and support from Barack Obama

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Many Democrats wanted Lieberman to be stripped of his chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs due to his support for John McCain.[21] Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell reached out to Lieberman, asking him to caucus with the Republicans.[22] Ultimately, the Senate Democratic Caucus voted 42 to 13 to allow Lieberman to keep chairmanship (although he did lose his membership for the Environment and Public Works Committee). Subsequently, Lieberman announced that he will continue to caucus with the Democrats.[23] Lieberman credited President-elect Barack Obama for helping him keep his chairmanship. Obama had privately urged Democratic Senate majority Leader Harry Reid not to remove Lieberman from his position. Reid stated that Lieberman's criticism of Obama during the election angered him, but that "if you look at the problems we face as a nation, is this a time we walk out of here saying, 'Boy did we get even'?" Senator Tom Carper of Delaware also credited the Democrats' decision on Lieberman to Obama's support, stating that "If Barack can move on, so can we."[24][25]

McCain campaign efforts to recruit Democratic support

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The case of Debra Bartoshevich, a 41-year-old emergency room nurse from Wisconsin[26] who was featured in McCain's national television ads, is an example of McCain team efforts to recruit high-profile Democrats and supporters of Hillary Clinton. In the ad, Bartoshevich declares herself "a proud Hillary Clinton Democrat" who will vote for John McCain, rather than Barack Obama, in the 2008 presidential election.[27]

Bartoshevich's support for McCain made national news because she was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, one of four people from Racine County, Wisconsin selected by a local Democratic caucus. The Racine, Wisconsin Journal Time quotes her, "in a speech before the votes were cast" telling other delegates "I support her because of her universal health care plan...I see the devastating consequences of diseases on the uninsured."[28]

Bartoshevich can be seen on YouTube telling a television interviewer that she was contacted by the McCain campaign "approximately three minutes" after Hillary Clinton's June 5 speech suspending her campaign for the presidency.[29]

On Friday, June 13, the Milwaukee, Wisconsin Journal Sentinel's website reported Bartoshevich's public affiliation with the McCain campaign. She told the Journal Sentinel that her sister had "encouraged" her to sign up as a supporter with “Citizens for McCain,” an arm of the campaign targeting Democrats and independents. Bartoshevich added that it was the McCain campaign, not she herself, who then notified a reporter.[30] In a later statement to Wisconsin Democratic Party leaders, however, Bartoshevich claimed that it was in fact her sister, who was working for Citizens for McCain, who had put her name onto the McCain campaign website.[31]

McCain himself traveled to Racine in July, where he met with Bartoshevich before introducing her and her family to a campaign gathering of about 1,000 people.[32] On August 25, the new ad (called "Debra") was launched.[33] A second McCain ad launched the same day (called "Passed Over") also urged Hillary Clinton's followers to switch allegiance to McCain.[34]

Also on August 25, Bartoshevich was made the central figure of a press conference sponsored by the Republican National Committee and hosted by Carly Fiorina.[35] Bartoshevich, who is pro-choice, was asked about McCain's views on Roe v. Wade. She responded by saying, "Going back to 1999, John McCain did an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle saying that overturning Roe v. Wade would not make any sense, because then women would have to have illegal abortions". This raised questions, because McCain's position as of August 2008 was that Roe v. Wade should be overturned.[36][37] In the presidential debate held on October 15, McCain reiterated this point.[38]

Conservative Democratic voters and Hillary Clinton supporters

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Individual with a sign outside the 2008 DNC advertising a website called "Hillary; now for McCain"

The Gallup Poll indicates McCain's support among Democrats calling themselves "conservative" by party standards has varied from a low of 15% to a high of 26% according to Gallup.[39]

During the campaign, there was significant media discussion of Democratic Hillary Clinton voters backing McCain, in particular members of People United Means Action (also known as PUMA, originally standing for "Party Unity My Ass," and also known as "Just Stay No Deal") and those sympathetic to it.[40] After Clinton's June 8 concession, 40% of women who supported Clinton described themselves as dissatisfied and 7% described themselves as angry; 25% said they would support McCain in November.[41]

Polling data

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According to Gallup Polls from June 9 to August 17 McCain's cross-party support fluctuated between 10% and 13%. In the poll for August 18 to August 24 support for McCain among Democrats peaked at 14%. From October 13 to October 19 polls showed McCain's support among Democrats to be 7%, which was the lowest thus far.[42] The CNN exit polls placed his Democratic support at 10% with the same percentage for liberal support. These results may not represent the general voters due to early voting.[43]

According to exit polls on Election Day, McCain won the votes of only 10% of Democrats nationwide, the same percentage of Democrats' votes that George W. Bush won in 2004.[5]

Democrats and former Democrats who endorsed John McCain

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Democratic politicians who voted for McCain, but did not formally endorse

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Am I a McCain Democrat?
  2. ^ Payne, Dan. "So, you want to be a McCain Democrat?". Boston.com.
  3. ^ "McCain Democrats". Archived from the original on September 16, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2008.
  4. ^ "ニキビを治す方法を調べてみる".
  5. ^ a b "Inside Obama's Sweeping Victory". Pew Research Center. November 5, 2008. Archived from the original on May 9, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
  6. ^ Levy, Clifford J. (February 12, 2000). "The 2000 Campaign – New York – For McCain, a New Ardor Gets Spun Into New Money – NYTimes.com". The New York Times.
  7. ^ "Amarillo.com". Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved September 26, 2008.
  8. ^ "Lieberman, McCain Endorsement". MSNBC. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved November 6, 2008.
  9. ^ "Lieberman: "I want to elect a Democratic president in 2008"". YouTube. Retrieved August 5, 2008.[dead YouTube link]
  10. ^ "Lieberman to Cross Aisle to Endorse McCain". blog.washingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved December 16, 2007.
  11. ^ Rhee, Foon (June 5, 2008). "Lieberman leads new pro-McCain group". Boston.com. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
  12. ^ Wheaton, Sarah (June 14, 2008). "McCain Courts Democrats, Independents". The New York Times. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
  13. ^ Falcone, Michael (August 24, 2008). "Republicans Unveil War Room in Denver". The New York Times. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
  14. ^ Meckler, Laura (February 13, 2008). "McCain Gets Boost from Senate Buddy". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 13, 2008.
  15. ^ J.C. (lefigaro.fr) (March 22, 2008). "McCain loue l'ère "d'amitié franco-américaine"". lefigaro.fr. Retrieved March 21, 2008.
  16. ^ Christensen, Alex. "The 2008 GOP Field or It's the Tenacity, Stupid". Archived from the original on February 13, 2008. Retrieved January 27, 2008.
  17. ^ Kristol, William (November 19, 2007). "Say It's So, Joe – Vice President Lieberman?". Retrieved January 27, 2008.
  18. ^ See http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/08/how-palin-came.html Archived 2010-03-23 at the Wayback Machine and https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/29/AR2008082901777.html?hpid=opinionsbox1.
  19. ^ "Gizzi on Politics: Convention Diary". Human Events. Archived from the original on May 24, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
  20. ^ Saenz, Arlene (May 23, 2018). "Joe Lieberman unaware of John McCain's 2008 regret until new book". abcnews.go.com. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  21. ^ Rushing, J. Taylor. "Sen. Lieberman likely to lose his gavel in massive reshuffle being discussed". TheHill.com. Archived from the original on October 29, 2008. Retrieved October 29, 2008.
  22. ^ Grim, Ryan (November 7, 2008). "McConnell Reaches Out To Lieberman". Politico.com. Retrieved November 7, 2008.
  23. ^ Hulse, Carl (November 19, 2008). "Democrats Gain as Stevens Loses Race". The New York Times. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  24. ^ Sources: Lieberman likely to keep top Democratic post, CNN.com, November 17, 2008.
  25. ^ Lieberman credits Obama after Dems let him keep post, CNN.com, November 18, 2008.
  26. ^ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
  27. ^ "Campaign Slog 70 Days to Go!". The Washington Post.
  28. ^ Journal Times May 5, 2008
  29. ^ Wisconsin Clinton Delegate's Credentials Challenged For Convention. July 16, 2008. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021 – via YouTube.
  30. ^ Craig Gilbert. "Delegate's reversal stuns party".
  31. ^ "Journal Sentinel July 25, 2008". Archived from the original on September 19, 2008. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  32. ^ AP July 31, 2008 Archived August 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  33. ^ AP August 25, 2008 [dead link‍]
  34. ^ WSJ Staff (August 23, 2008). "New McCain Ad Uses Clinton Attacks". WSJ.
  35. ^ Marketwatch
  36. ^ Time
  37. ^ NBC News
  38. ^ "McCain, Obama face off in third presidential debate – CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  39. ^ Gallup, Inc. (August 12, 2008). "Candidate Support by Political Party and Ideology". Gallup.com.
  40. ^ Times Record[permanent dead link‍]
  41. ^ "Hill, Yes! O., No!". The Washington Post.
  42. ^ Gallup, Inc. (August 12, 2008). "Candidate Support by Political Party". Gallup.com.
  43. ^ "Local Exit Polls – Election Center 2008 – Elections & Politics from CNN.com". CNN.
  44. ^ "New York Daily News". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on September 2, 2008. Retrieved November 3, 2008.
  45. ^ "So Long, Democrats". The Daily Beast.
  46. ^ Wendy Button (Obama staffer who's voting McCain) inspired by Joe the Plumber[permanent dead link‍], Newark National Post, 29 October 2008.
  47. ^ Is There Any Gain In Endorsing McCain?, The New Republic
  48. ^ Obama Speechwriter Defects Democratic Party, Endorses McCain, Cleveland Leader
  49. ^ Salena Zito (October 26, 2008). "John the Populist". TribLIVE.com. Archived from the original on October 30, 2008. Retrieved November 4, 2008.
  50. ^ "WorldWatch – September 7, 2008 – Barack Obama, Spinmeister – The Ornery American". Archived from the original on November 19, 2008. Retrieved October 23, 2008.
  51. ^ Commonweal Magazine
    • Likewise I say, “John McCain is the worst possible candidate for president-except for all the others”..."Even though-being a Democrat of the FDR-Truman-Kennedy-LBJ variety-I’m pretty conservative by contemporary Democratic standards, still I’m a Democrat, and that means that I have deeply ingrained anti-Republican prejudices."
  52. ^ "Could North Carolina Go Blue in 2008?". Archived from the original on October 24, 2008.
  53. ^ "Charlotte: Search Results".
  54. ^ New Hampshire House Page
  55. ^ a b "NH: Longtime Democratic legislator backs John McCain". seacoastonline.com.
  56. ^ "Home – abcactionnews.com – Tampa Bay News, Weather, Sports, Things To Do – WFTS-TV". Archived from the original on September 29, 2011.
  57. ^ Jennifer Feals. "Longtime Democrat backs John McCain". seacoastonline.com.
  58. ^ Phoenix New Times Archived August 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
    • "Paul Johnson, former mayor of Phoenix, who spent much of the early 1990s publicly loathing the senator, is now a Democrat for McCain."
  59. ^ Minnesota Independent
  60. ^ a b c "John McCain's DINOs". OpenSecrets Blog. June 23, 2008.
  61. ^ "Palin courts the female vote". Las Vegas Review-Journal. August 3, 2023.
  62. ^ "Long Beach Press Telegram". Archived from the original on October 8, 2008. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
  63. ^ Orange County Register Archived October 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine"...lifelong Democrat and president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Organization For Women, Shelly Mandell. While NOW has endorsed Democrat Barack Obama as best representing women's interests in the race, Mandell has taken a different view."
  64. ^ Yahoo News
  65. ^ "Trump endorses McCain". CNN. September 18, 2008. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  66. ^ "Rep. Wenzel resigns to take federal job; A DFL House member for 29 years, he'll become the state's USDA director for rural development.(NEWS)". Archived from the original on October 22, 2012.
  67. ^ Matt Nauman Mercury News (October 12, 2008). "A chat with CIA chief-turned-venture capitalist R. James Woolsey".
  68. ^ Miami Herald
  69. ^ "Democratic Rep. Gene Taylor: I Voted for McCain". CBS News. October 25, 2010.
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