John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and naval officer who represented Arizona in the United States Congress for over 35 years. He first served as a U.S. representative from 1983 to 1987 and later as a U.S. senator from 1987 until his death in 2018. A member of the Republican Party, he was the party's nominee in the 2008 presidential election.

Born into the important McCain family in the Panama Canal Zone, McCain graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1958 and joined the U.S. Navy. He became a pilot in the Navy and flew aircraft used for attacking ground targets from aircraft carriers. During the Vietnam War, he nearly died in the 1967 USS Forrestal fire. While on a bombing mission over Hanoi in October 1967, McCain was shot down, seriously injured, and captured by the North Vietnamese. He remained a prisoner of war until 1973. McCain experienced torture and refused an early release. He suffered injuries that caused lifelong physical disabilities. McCain retired from the Navy as a captain in 1981 and moved to Arizona.

In 1982, McCain was elected to the House of Representatives, where he served two terms. Four years later, he was elected to the Senate, where he served six terms. While generally supporting conservative ideas, McCain was known as a "maverick" for his willingness to disagree with his party on certain issues, including LGBT rights, gun regulations, and campaign finance reform, where his views were more moderate than those of the party's base. McCain was investigated in a political scandal in the 1980s but was mostly cleared of wrongdoing as part of the Keating Five group. He then focused on regulating political campaign financing, which led to the passage of the McCain–Feingold Act in 2002. With Russ Feingold, McCain received the 1999 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. He also worked in the 1990s to restore diplomatic relations with Vietnam. McCain chaired the Senate Commerce Committee from 1997 to 2001 and 2003 to 2005, where he opposed unnecessary spending on projects that benefited specific areas. He was part of the bipartisan "Gang of 14," which helped resolve a crisis over judicial nominations.

McCain entered the race for the 2000 Republican presidential nomination but lost to George W. Bush. He secured the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, beating candidates Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee, though he lost the general election to Barack Obama. McCain later supported more traditional conservative positions and opposed actions by the Obama administration, especially on foreign policy. In 2015, he became Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He did not support Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election and later criticized the Trump administration. While McCain opposed the Obama-era Affordable Care Act (ACA), he voted against the American Health Care Act of 2017, which would have partially repealed the ACA. After being diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2017, he reduced his Senate work to focus on treatment and died from the disease in 2018.

Early life and military career (1936–1981)

John Sidney McCain III was born on August 29, 1936, at Coco Solo Naval Air Station in the Panama Canal Zone, to naval officer John S. McCain Jr. and Roberta Wright McCain. He had an older sister, Sandy, and a younger brother, Joe. At that time, the Panama Canal was under U.S. control.

His father and paternal grandfather, John S. McCain Sr., were also Naval Academy graduates and both became four-star admirals in the United States Navy. His grand-uncle William A. McCain and great grand-uncle Henry Pinckney McCain served as general officers in the United States Army. The McCain family moved frequently as his father took naval postings in the United States and Pacific regions. As a result, the younger McCain attended about 20 schools. In 1951, the family settled in Northern Virginia, and McCain attended Episcopal High School, a private preparatory boarding school in Alexandria. He excelled at wrestling and graduated in 1954. He referred to himself as an Episcopalian as recently as June 2007, after which he said he came to identify as a Baptist.

Following his father and grandfather, McCain entered the United States Naval Academy. He was a friend and informal leader for many classmates and sometimes stood up for targets of bullying. He also fought as a lightweight boxer. He earned the nickname "John Wayne" for his attitude and popularity with others. McCain did well in subjects he enjoyed, such as literature and history, but studied only enough to pass subjects that gave him difficulty, such as mathematics. He often clashed with higher-ranking personnel and did not always obey rules. His class rank (894 of 899) did not reflect his intelligence or his IQ, which had been tested to be 128 and 133. McCain graduated in 1958.

McCain began his military career as an ensign and trained for two and a half years at Pensacola to become a naval aviator. During this time, he earned a reputation for partying. He completed flight school in 1960 and became a naval pilot of ground-attack aircraft. He was assigned to A-1 Skyraider squadrons aboard the aircraft carriers USS Intrepid and USS Enterprise in the Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas. McCain started as a sub-par flier who was sometimes careless and reckless; during the early to mid-1960s, two of his flight missions crashed, and a third collided with power lines, but he suffered no major injuries. His aviation skills improved over time, and he was seen as a good pilot, though he often "pushed the envelope" in his flying.

On July 3, 1965, McCain married Carol Shepp, who had worked as a runway model and secretary. McCain adopted her two young children, Douglas and Andrew. He and Carol then had a daughter, Sidney. That same year, he was a one-day champion on the game show Jeopardy!

McCain requested a combat assignment and was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal, flying A-4 Skyhawks. His combat duty began in mid-1967, when Forrestal was assigned to Operation Rolling Thunder, a bombing campaign during the Vietnam War. Stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin, McCain and his fellow pilots became frustrated by micromanagement from Washington. He later wrote, "In all candor, we thought our civilian commanders were complete idiots who didn't have the least notion of what it took to win the war."

On July 29, 1967, McCain was a lieutenant commander when he was near the center of the USS Forrestal fire. He escaped from his burning jet and was trying to help another pilot escape when a bomb exploded; McCain was struck in the legs and chest by fragments. The fire killed 134 sailors. With the Forrestal out of commission, McCain volunteered for assignment with the USS Oriskany, another carrier in Operation Rolling Thunder. There, he was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal and the Bronze Star Medal for missions flown over North Vietnam.

McCain was taken prisoner of war on October 26, 1967. He was flying his 23rd bombing mission over North Vietnam when his A-4E Skyhawk was shot down by a missile over Hanoi. McCain fractured both arms and a leg when he ejected from the aircraft and nearly drowned after parachuting into Trúc Bạch Lake. Some North Vietnamese pulled him ashore, then others crushed his shoulder with a rifle butt and bayoneted him. McCain was then transported to Hanoi's main Hỏa Lò Prison, nicknamed the "Hanoi Hilton."

Although McCain was seriously wounded, his captors refused to treat him. They beat and interrogated him, and he received medical care only when the North Vietnamese discovered his father was an admiral. His status as a prisoner of war made the front pages of major American newspapers.

McCain spent six weeks in the hospital, where he received minimal care. He had lost 50 pounds, was in a chest cast, and his gray hair had turned white. McCain was sent to a different camp on the outskirts of Hanoi. In December 1967, McCain was placed in a cell with two other Americans, who did not expect him to live more than a week. In March 1968, McCain was placed in solitary confinement, where he remained for two years.

In mid-1968, his father, John S. McCain Jr., was named commander of all U.S. forces in the Vietnam theater. The North Vietnamese offered McCain early release to appear merciful for propaganda purposes and to show other POWs that elite prisoners could be treated preferentially. Such early release was prohibited by the POWs' interpretation of the military Code of Conduct, which states in Article III: "I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy." McCain refused repatriation unless every man taken before him was also released. To prevent the enemy from using prisoners for propaganda, officers were to agree to be released in the order they were captured.

Beginning in August 1968, McCain was subjected to severe torture. He was bound and beaten every two hours and suffered from heat exhaustion and dysentery. Further injuries brought McCain to "the point of suicide," but his preparations were interrupted by guards. Eventually, McCain made an anti-U.S. propaganda "confession." He later wrote: "I had learned what we all learned over there: every man has his breaking point. I had reached mine." Many U.S. POWs were tortured and maltreated to extract "confessions" and propaganda statements; virtually all eventually yielded something. McCain received two to three beatings weekly because of his continued refusal to sign additional statements.

McCain refused to meet anti-war groups seeking peace in Hanoi, wanting to give neither them nor the North Vietnamese a propaganda victory. From late 1969, treatment of McCain and many other POWs became more tolerable, while McCain continued to resist camp authorities. McCain and other prisoners cheered the U.S. "Christmas Bombing" campaign of December 1972, viewing it as a forceful measure to push North Vietnam to terms.

McCain was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for five and a half years, until his release

House and Senate elections and career (1982–2000)

John McCain wanted to become a representative because he was interested in current events, ready for a new challenge, and had political ambitions. After moving to Phoenix, he worked for his new father-in-law’s large beer distributorship, where he held the position of vice president of public relations. In this role, he gained support from local business leaders, including banker Charles Keating Jr., real estate developer Fife Symington III (who later became Arizona’s governor), and newspaper publisher Darrow “Duke” Tully. In 1982, McCain ran as a Republican candidate for an open seat in Arizona’s 1st congressional district, which had been vacated by Republican John Jacob Rhodes, a long-time member of Congress. As a newcomer to the state, McCain was called a “carpetbagger” by some voters. When asked about this accusation, McCain responded in a way that a Phoenix Gazette columnist later described as one of the strongest political replies he had ever heard.

McCain won the primary election with help from local political endorsements, connections in Washington, and money lent to his campaign by his wife. He then won the general election easily in a district that was mostly Republican. In 1983, McCain was elected to lead the incoming group of Republican representatives and was assigned to the House Committee on Interior Affairs. That same year, he opposed the creation of a federal Martin Luther King Jr. Day but later admitted in 2008 that he had been wrong and supported a state holiday in Arizona by 1990.

At this time, McCain’s political views mostly aligned with those of President Ronald Reagan, including support for Reagan’s economic policies and involvement in Indian Affairs legislation. He supported most aspects of Reagan’s foreign policy, such as the U.S. stance against the Soviet Union and actions in Central America, including backing the Contras in Nicaragua. McCain opposed keeping U.S. Marines in Lebanon, arguing that the goals were unachievable, and later criticized President Reagan for removing the troops too late, which led to the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing. McCain won re-election to the House easily in 1984 and joined the House Foreign Affairs Committee. In 1985, he traveled to Vietnam for the first time and also visited Chile, where he met with General Augusto Pinochet, the country’s military leader.

In 1984, McCain and his wife, Cindy, had their first child, a daughter named Meghan. Two years later, they had a son named John IV, and in 1988, a son named James. In 1991, Cindy brought a three-month-old girl in need of medical care from a Bangladeshi orphanage run by Mother Teresa to the United States. The McCains decided to adopt the girl and named her Bridget.

McCain’s Senate career began in January 1987 after he defeated his Democratic opponent, Richard Kimball, by 20 percentage points in the 1986 election. He succeeded Arizona native Barry Goldwater, a conservative icon and the 1964 Republican presidential nominee, who had served as a U.S. senator for 30 years. In January 1988, McCain supported the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 and voted to override President Reagan’s veto of that law.

As a senator, McCain joined the Armed Services Committee, where he had previously worked as a Navy liaison, and also served on the Commerce and Indian Affairs Committees. He continued to support Native American issues and was one of the main authors of the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which established rules for Native American gambling enterprises. McCain also supported the Gramm–Rudman legislation, which required automatic spending cuts if the federal budget had a deficit.

McCain gained national attention in the late 1980s. He gave a well-received speech at the 1988 Republican National Convention, was considered a possible vice-presidential candidate for Republican nominee George H. W. Bush, and became chairman of Veterans for Bush.

McCain became involved in a scandal during the 1980s as one of the five U.S. senators known as the “Keating Five.” Between 1982 and 1987, McCain received $112,000 in legal political contributions from Charles Keating Jr. and his associates at Lincoln Savings and Loan Association, along with trips on Keating’s private jets, which he later repaid in 1989. In 1987, McCain met with federal regulators twice to discuss the government’s investigation of Lincoln Savings and Loan. In 1999, McCain admitted that the situation created the wrong impression and that it was poor judgment to meet with regulators. The Senate Ethics Committee cleared McCain of wrongdoing but mildly reprimanded him.

In his 1992 re-election campaign, the Keating Five affair was not a major issue, and McCain won easily with 56 percent of the vote, defeating Democratic candidate Claire Sargent and independent former governor Evan Mecham.

During the 1990s, McCain became known for his independence. He often challenged party leaders and was difficult to categorize politically.

As a member of the 1991–1993 Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs, chaired by Democrat John Kerry, McCain investigated the fate of U.S. service members listed as missing in action during the Vietnam War. The committee’s report concluded that there was no evidence that any American remained alive in captivity in Southeast Asia. McCain’s efforts helped the U.S. normalize diplomatic relations with Vietnam in 1995. Some POW/MIA activists criticized the report, believing that Americans were still held in Southeast Asia despite the findings. From January 1993 until his death, McCain was chairman of the International Republican Institute, an organization that promotes political democracy worldwide.

In 1993 and 1994, McCain voted to confirm President Clinton’s nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer, whom he believed were qualified. He later explained that it was the president’s responsibility to make such decisions. McCain had also supported nominees from Presidents Reagan and George H. W. Bush, including Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas.

McCain criticized the influence of large political donations from corporations, unions, and wealthy individuals. Starting in 1994, he worked with Democratic Senator Russ Feingold on campaign finance reform, leading to the McCain–Feingold bill, which aimed to limit “soft money” contributions. The bill faced opposition from many groups and was not passed in its initial form.

The term “maverick Republican”

2000 presidential campaign

John McCain announced his run for president on September 27, 1999, in Nashua, New Hampshire. He said he wanted to "fight to take our government back from the power brokers and special interests, and return it to the people and the noble cause of freedom it was created to serve." The leading candidate for the Republican nomination was Texas Governor George W. Bush, who had strong support from most members of the Republican Party. McCain received backing from many moderate Republicans and some conservative Republicans.

McCain focused on the New Hampshire primary, where his message connected with independent voters. He traveled in a campaign bus named the Straight Talk Express. He held many town hall meetings, answering every question voters asked, which became an example of "retail politics." He used free media to make up for his limited campaign funds. A reporter later said, "McCain talked all day long with reporters on his Straight Talk Express bus; he talked so much that sometimes he said things that he shouldn't have, and that's why the media loved him." On February 1, 2000, McCain won New Hampshire’s primary with 49 percent of the vote, compared to Bush’s 30 percent. The Bush campaign and Republican leaders worried that a McCain victory in the South Carolina primary might give his campaign strong momentum.

The Arizona Republic described the McCain–Bush primary contest in South Carolina as "a low-water mark in presidential campaigns," while The New York Times called it "a painful symbol of the brutality of American politics." Groups McCain had previously criticized ran negative advertisements against him. Bush used McCain’s earlier language about reform and did not distance himself from a veterans activist who accused McCain (in Bush’s presence) of having "abandoned the veterans" on POW/MIA and Agent Orange issues.

Angry, McCain ran ads accusing Bush of lying and compared the governor to Bill Clinton, which Bush called "about as low a blow as you can give in a Republican primary." An anonymous smear campaign targeted McCain, using push polls, faxes, emails, flyers, and audience plants. The smears claimed McCain had fathered a Black child out of wedlock (his daughter was adopted from Bangladesh), that his wife Cindy was a drug addict, that he was a homosexual, and that he was a "Manchurian Candidate" who was either a traitor or mentally unstable from his time as a POW. The Bush campaign denied any involvement in these attacks.

McCain lost South Carolina on February 19, 2000, with 42 percent of the vote compared to Bush’s 53 percent, partly because Bush attracted many evangelical voters and spent more money on his campaign. This win helped Bush regain momentum. McCain said of the rumor spreaders, "I believe that there is a special place in hell for people like those." According to one acquaintance, the South Carolina experience left him in a "very dark place."

McCain’s campaign never fully recovered from his South Carolina loss, though he later won in Arizona and Michigan. He gave a speech in Virginia Beach criticizing Christian leaders, including Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, as divisive conservatives, stating, "we embrace the fine members of the religious conservative community. But that does not mean that we will pander to their self-appointed leaders." McCain lost the Virginia primary on February 29, and on March 7, he lost nine of the thirteen primaries on Super Tuesday to Bush. With little hope of catching up to Bush’s delegate lead, McCain withdrew from the race on March 9, 2000. He endorsed Bush two months later.

Senate career (2000–2008)

In 2001, McCain disagreed with the new administration on several issues, including HMO reform, climate change, and gun control laws. The McCain–Feingold Act was opposed by President Bush. In May 2001, McCain was one of only two Senate Republicans who voted against the Bush tax cuts. Differences with Bush on political beliefs, along with tensions from the previous year’s campaign, created conflict between them. When Republican Senator Jim Jeffords became an Independent, it changed the balance of power in the Senate. McCain supported Jeffords when others tried to force him to stay in the Republican Party. Some people later wondered if McCain might leave the Republican Party, but he always said he never considered it. Starting in 2001, McCain used his influence from his presidential campaign and improved relationships with other lawmakers to become one of the most powerful members of the Senate.

After the September 11 attacks in 2001, McCain supported President Bush and the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. He worked with Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman to create the 9/11 Commission, and with Democratic Senator Fritz Hollings to support the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, which made airport security a federal responsibility.

In March 2002, the McCain–Feingold Act, also called the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, passed in both houses of Congress and became law. This was McCain’s most important legislative success.

At the same time, McCain supported the Bush administration’s plans for action against Iraq. He said Iraq was a clear and present danger to the U.S. and voted for the Iraq War Resolution in October 2002. He predicted that many Iraqis would see U.S. forces as liberators. In May 2003, McCain voted against the second round of Bush tax cuts, calling it unwise during a time of war. By November 2003, after visiting Iraq, McCain publicly questioned Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, saying more U.S. troops were needed. The next year, McCain said he had lost confidence in Rumsfeld.

In October 2003, McCain and Lieberman co-sponsored the Climate Stewardship Act, which aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 2000 levels through a cap and trade system. The bill failed in the Senate with 55 votes against it and 43 in favor. McCain and Lieberman introduced similar versions of the bill again in 2005 and 2007, with Barack Obama as a co-sponsor in 2007.

During the 2004 U.S. presidential election, McCain was often mentioned as a potential vice presidential candidate for the Democratic ticket under John Kerry. McCain said Kerry never formally offered him the position, and he would not have accepted it. At the 2004 Republican National Convention, McCain supported Bush’s re-election, praising Bush’s handling of the war on terror. He also defended Kerry’s record during the Vietnam War. By August 2004, McCain had the highest favorable-to-unfavorable rating among national politicians, with 55% favorable and 19% unfavorable. He campaigned for Bush more than he had in 2000, though they remained allies rather than close friends.

In 2004, McCain ran for re-election as a senator and won with 77% of the vote, defeating a little-known Democratic candidate named Stuart Starky.

In May 2005, McCain led a group of 14 senators, called the “Gang of 14,” who reached a compromise that allowed senators to use the filibuster to block judicial nominees only in “extraordinary circumstances.” This reduced the power of the filibuster movement, though some Republicans were unhappy the compromise did not eliminate the filibuster completely. McCain later supported the confirmation of Supreme Court justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito, calling them “two of the finest justices ever appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court.”

In May 2006, McCain changed his position and supported the extension of the Bush tax cuts, saying not to do so would be like raising taxes. He worked with Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy to push for comprehensive immigration reform, which included legalizing undocumented immigrants, creating guest worker programs, and improving border security. The Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act was not voted on in 2005, and the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 passed the Senate but failed in the House. In 2007, President Bush, McCain, and others tried again to pass a similar bill, but it faced strong opposition from some groups who called it an “amnesty” program. The bill failed twice in the Senate.

By the middle of the 2000s, the Indian gaming industry, which McCain helped promote, became a $23 billion business. McCain chaired the Senate Indian Affairs Committee twice, in 1995–1997 and 2005–2007. His committee helped uncover the Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal. By 2005 and 2006, McCain pushed for changes to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which would have limited the creation of off-reservation casinos and restricted tribes from building casinos across state lines.

Because of his time as a prisoner of war, McCain was known for his views on the treatment of detainees in the war on terror. He opposed the Bush administration’s use of torture and detention without trial at Guantánamo Bay, saying even dangerous individuals deserved a fair trial. In October 2005, McCain introduced the McCain Detainee Amendment, which banned inhumane treatment of prisoners and limited military interrogations to techniques in the U.S. Army Field Manual. The Senate passed the amendment 90–9. Though President Bush threatened to veto the bill, he later accepted McCain’s terms and said the U.S. would not torture anyone, whether at home or abroad. This stance helped McCain earn recognition as one of America’s 10 Best Senators by Time magazine in 2006. In February 2008, McCain voted against a bill that banned waterboarding, partly because he opposed other parts of the bill. His spokesperson explained the vote was not about waterboarding but about applying military interrogation standards to CIA personnel.

McCain continued to question the progress of the war in Iraq. In September 2005, he disagreed with General Richard Myers, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who said the war was going well. McCain said, “Things have not gone as well as we had planned or expected.” In August 2006, he criticized the administration for not telling the public how difficult the war was. From the start, McCain supported the 2007 Iraq troop surge. Some opponents called it “McCain’s plan,” and a political scientist named Larry Sabato said the strategy was closely tied to McCain’s ideas.

2008 presidential campaign

John McCain officially announced his plan to run for President of the United States on April 25, 2007, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He said, "I'm not running for president to be somebody, but to do something; to do the hard but necessary things, not the easy and needless things."

McCain was often described as a strong candidate in the 2008 election. His strengths included being well-known nationally, supporting laws to reform how campaigns are funded, working with people from different political groups, his military service and experience as a prisoner of war, his experience from the 2000 presidential campaign, and the expectation that he would receive support from former President George W. Bush’s top fundraisers. In 2006, McCain attended 346 events and helped raise more than $10.5 million for Republican candidates. He also became more open to accepting donations from businesses, while stating that these donations would not influence his decisions. At the start of 2007, McCain was seen as a top contender, but by the end of the year, he was behind former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani in Republican polls.

McCain faced challenges in raising money in the first half of 2007, partly because of his support for the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, which many Republicans did not like. In early July, his campaign reduced its staff, but McCain said he would not quit the race. Later that month, his campaign manager and strategist left the campaign. McCain’s popularity dropped, and he often ranked third or fourth in national polls with less than 15% support.

As a senator from Arizona, McCain returned to being seen as a political underdog. He used his "Straight Talk Express" tour and relied on free media, such as debates and events, to promote his campaign. By December 2007, the Republican race was competitive, with no clear leader. McCain showed improvement, especially in New Hampshire, where he had won in 2000. He also received support from newspapers like The Boston Globe and New Hampshire Union Leader, as well as from Senator Joe Lieberman, who was then an independent. McCain did not campaign heavily in the January 3, 2008, Iowa caucuses, which were won by former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee.

McCain’s strategy worked when he won the New Hampshire primary on January 8, defeating former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. He then won the South Carolina primary in mid-January, narrowly beating Huckabee. Pundits said former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson’s third-place finish helped McCain win. A week later, McCain won the Florida primary, defeating Romney again. After this, Giuliani left the race and supported McCain.

On February 5, McCain won the most states and delegates in the Super Tuesday primaries, giving him a strong lead toward the Republican nomination. Romney left the race on February 7. McCain secured enough delegates to become the Republican nominee after winning key primaries in March.

If elected, McCain would have been the first president born outside the United States. This raised legal questions because the U.S. Constitution requires the president to be a natural-born citizen. A bipartisan legal review and a Senate resolution both concluded he was a natural-born citizen. However, some legal experts disagreed, saying he was a citizen but not a natural-born citizen at the time of his birth because the law that made him a citizen was passed after he was born.

If inaugurated in 2009 at age 72, McCain would have been the oldest president. He said his health was "excellent" in 2005 and had been treated for melanoma. A 2000 surgery left a visible mark on his face, but experts said his prognosis was good, as he had not had a recurrence for more than seven years. In May 2008, his campaign shared his medical records with the press, which showed he was cancer-free, had a strong heart, and was in good health.

After securing the nomination, McCain focused on the general election while Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton competed for the Democratic nomination. McCain introduced new policy ideas and worked to raise more money. Cindy McCain, who had a net worth of about $100 million, made part of her tax returns public in May. After criticism about lobbyists on staff, the campaign changed rules to avoid conflicts of interest, leading five top aides to leave.

When Obama became the Democratic nominee in early June, McCain proposed joint town hall meetings, but Obama requested traditional debates. In July, a staff change gave Steve Schmidt full control of the McCain campaign. Rick Davis remained as campaign manager but with a smaller role. Davis had managed McCain’s 2000 campaign, and U.S. intelligence had warned McCain’s staff about Davis’s connections to Russia in 2005 and 2006.

Throughout the summer of 2008, Obama usually led McCain in national polls and in key swing states. McCain continued to play the role of an underdog, partly because Republicans faced challenges in the election year. McCain accepted public financing for his general election campaign, while criticizing Obama for being the first major party candidate to reject public financing since 1976. McCain’s campaign focused on his experience and leadership skills compared to Obama’s.

On August 29, 2008, McCain announced Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. McCain was only the second major-party nominee (after Walter Mondale in 1984) to choose a woman as his running mate and the first Republican to do so. On September 3, 2008, McCain and Palin were officially named the Republican presidential and vice presidential nominees at the 2008 Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, Minnesota. McCain’s poll numbers improved after the convention, as Palin energized Republican voters. However, the campaign admitted that Palin’s introduction to the public was poorly managed, and many voters, especially independents, had negative reactions to her qualifications.

McCain’s choice of Palin as his running mate was criticized. Some said it highlighted a trend in the Republican Party of valuing non-expert opinions over facts.

Senate career after 2008

After his loss, McCain returned to the Senate, where people had different ideas about his future role. He said he planned to run again for his Senate seat in 2010. As President Obama prepared to take office, the two men talked about many issues more than usual between a president-elect and a defeated opponent. Obama’s inauguration speech mentioned McCain’s idea of finding a purpose greater than oneself.

McCain became a leader in the Republican opposition to Obama’s 2009 economic plan, arguing it would not create jobs quickly and would increase the national debt. He also voted against Obama’s nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, saying she did not support judicial restraint. By August 2009, McCain was often voting with Republicans more than before. He said the war in Afghanistan could be won and criticized Obama for slow decisions about sending more troops there.

McCain strongly opposed Obama’s decision to stop building a missile defense system in Poland and refused to support climate change laws similar to ones he had proposed earlier. He also disagreed with Obama’s health care plan. McCain led a successful effort to block a law that would end the military’s "Don’t ask, don’t tell" policy for gay service members. Reasons for his new direction included losing some Senate staff, growing concerns about the national debt, possible challenges from conservative Republicans in 2010, and his political influence not fading quickly. A longtime advisor said, "Many thought he might work with the Obama administration, but he has been more like the person destroying bridges."

In early 2010, McCain faced a primary challenge from J.D. Hayworth, a former congressman and radio host, who used the slogan "The Consistent Conservative." McCain said he never saw himself as a maverick but as someone who served Arizona’s people. During the campaign, McCain softened his views on issues like bank bailouts, closing Guantánamo Bay, campaign finance rules, and allowing openly gay military personnel.

When the health care law, now called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, passed in 2010, McCain opposed it both in content and how it was handled in Congress. He warned that Republicans would not cooperate with Democrats for the rest of the year. McCain supported Arizona’s SB 1070 law, which aimed to stop illegal immigration, saying the federal government had failed to secure the border. In the August 2010 primary, McCain won 56% of the vote, defeating Hayworth. He then easily beat Democratic candidate Rodney Glassman in the general election.

During the 111th Congress’s "lame duck" session, McCain supported a tax relief and job creation law but opposed the DREAM Act and the New START Treaty. He continued to fight against ending "Don’t ask, don’t tell," sometimes showing frustration on the Senate floor and calling its passage a "sad day" that could harm military effectiveness.

When Republicans took control of the House in 2011, the Senate remained Democratic, and McCain remained the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee. As the Arab Spring began, McCain urged Egypt’s president, Hosni Mubarak, to step down and supported U.S. efforts to promote democracy in the Middle East, even if it risked empowering extremists. He was a strong supporter of the 2011 military action in Libya, visiting rebel forces in Benghazi and calling them "my heroes." He also joined Senator Kerry to approve a resolution authorizing the Libya intervention, criticizing the administration for not consulting Congress. McCain supported the 2011 Budget Control Act to resolve the debt ceiling crisis and worked with Senator Carl Levin to allow the U.S. to detain terrorism suspects, though they later added language to exclude U.S. citizens. He continued to oppose the use of torture.

In the 2012 Republican presidential race, McCain backed Mitt Romney, calling the contest a "Greek tragedy" due to intense negative ads. He criticized the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision as "uninformed, arrogant, and naïve," predicting it would cause future scandals. McCain opposed the spending cuts from the Budget Control Act and defended State Department aide Huma Abedin against claims she had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

McCain remained a frequent guest on Sunday news shows and was one of the loudest critics of the Obama administration’s response to the 2012 Benghazi attack, calling it a "debacle" worse than Watergate. He and others blocked the nomination of Susan Rice as U.S. Secretary of State, with John Kerry instead chosen.

Regarding the Syrian civil war, McCain argued for U.S. military support for anti-government forces. He visited rebel groups in Syria in 2013, the first senator to do so, and called for arming the Free Syrian Army and creating a no-fly zone. After reports that two people he photographed had kidnapped Lebanese pilgrims, McCain denied any connection to the incident.

Death and funeral

On August 24, 2018, McCain’s family announced that he would stop receiving treatment for his cancer. He passed away the next day at his home in Cornville, Arizona.

McCain lay in state at the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix on August 29, which would have been his 82nd birthday. A service was held at North Phoenix Baptist Church on August 30. His remains were later moved to Washington, D.C., where they lay in state in the United States Capitol rotunda on August 31. This was followed by a service at the Washington National Cathedral on September 1. McCain was a member of the Episcopal Church for his entire life but attended a Southern Baptist church for at least 17 years. Memorial services were held in both religious groups.

Before his death, McCain asked former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama to deliver eulogies at his funeral. He requested that President Donald Trump and his former running mate, Sarah Palin, not attend any of the services. McCain planned the funeral arrangements and chose his pallbearers for the Washington service. These included former vice president and former Delaware Senator Joe Biden, former Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold, former Secretary of Defense William Cohen, actor Warren Beatty, and Russian dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza.

Many foreign leaders attended McCain’s services, including NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Taiwan’s Congress Speaker Su Jia-chyuan, Canadian Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan, Estonian Defense Minister Jüri Luik and Foreign Minister Sven Mikser, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Antanas Linkevičius, and Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Adel al-Jubeir.

Eulogies at the Washington National Cathedral included speeches by Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Henry Kissinger, Joe Lieberman, and McCain’s daughter, Meghan McCain. The New Yorker described the service as the largest gathering of anti-Trump figures during his presidency. Attendees included former U.S. presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton; First Ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, and Hillary Clinton; and former vice presidents Joe Biden, Dick Cheney, Al Gore, and Dan Quayle. Former presidents Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale did not attend, and former president George H. W. Bush was too ill to attend. President Trump was not invited. Other attendees included Tom Brokaw, Charlie Rose, Bob Dole, Madeleine Albright, John Kerry, Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Mitt Romney, Lindsey Graham, Warren Beatty, Elizabeth Warren, Jay Leno, and Kamala Harris. Trump’s daughter and son-in-law, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, attended, which upset Meghan McCain.

On September 2, the funeral procession traveled from Washington, D.C., through Annapolis, Maryland, to the Naval Academy. A private service was held at the Naval Academy Chapel, and McCain was buried at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced plans to introduce a resolution to rename the Russell Senate Office Building after McCain. A quarter peal of Grandsire Caters, a special bell ringing ceremony, was rung by the bellringers of Washington National Cathedral the day after McCain’s death. Another memorial quarter peal was held on September 6 at the Bells of Congress in Washington.

President Trump reportedly refused to let the White House release a statement praising McCain’s life and initially said nothing about McCain in a tweet offering condolences to his family. The flag at the White House was lowered to half-staff on August 25, the day of McCain’s death, but was raised to full-staff at 12:01 a.m. on August 27. Trump later said he believed media coverage of McCain’s death was excessive because McCain was never elected president. After public criticism from the American Legion and AMVETS, Trump ordered the flag to be lowered to half-staff again on August 27. Trump later issued a statement honoring McCain’s service and signed a proclamation ordering flags to be flown at half-staff until McCain’s burial. Vice President Mike Pence participated in the ceremony at the Capitol rotunda on August 31.

Political positions

Various advocacy groups have given Senator McCain scores or grades based on how his voting choices match the positions of each group. CrowdPac, which rates politicians using information about donations they receive and give, gave Senator McCain a score of 4.3C. On this scale, 10C represents the most conservative, and 10L represents the most liberal.

The non-partisan National Journal evaluates a Senator's voting record by comparing their votes to those of other Senators in three areas: economic, social, and foreign policy. For 2005–2006 (as reported in the 2008 Almanac of American Politics), McCain's average ratings were: economic policy—59% conservative and 41% liberal; social policy—54% conservative and 38% liberal; and foreign policy—56% conservative and 43% liberal. In 2012, the National Journal gave McCain a composite score of 73% conservative and 27% liberal. In 2013, his composite score was 60% conservative and 40% liberal.

Columnists such as Robert Robb and Matthew Continetti used a system created by William F. Buckley Jr. to describe McCain as "conservative" but not "a conservative." This means McCain often supported conservative positions, but he was not strongly connected to the core beliefs of modern American conservatism. After McCain lost the 2008 presidential election, he began supporting more traditional conservative ideas. The National Journal listed McCain and seven other Senators as the "most conservative" in 2010. That year, he received a 100% rating from the American Conservative Union. During Barack Obama's presidency, McCain was one of the top five Republicans most likely to vote with Obama on major issues. In 2013, McCain voted with Obama on significant votes more than half the time. He was later criticized by the Arizona Republican Party for a voting record they described as "liberal."

From the late 1990s until 2008, McCain was a board member of Project Vote Smart, an organization founded by Richard Kimball, who ran against McCain in the 1986 Senate election. This group provides non-partisan information about the political positions of McCain and other candidates. McCain also used his Senate website to explain his political views.

In a 2008 speech to the CPAC, McCain said he supported small government, spending control, low taxes, a strong military, judges who follow laws, and social values that build our strength. He also emphasized defending the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

In his 2018 memoir, The Restless Wave, McCain described himself as someone who supported lower taxes, less government, free markets, trade, military preparedness, and democratic internationalism.

Cultural and political image

John McCain's personal character was an important part of how the public saw him. This image included his military service, both for himself and his family, the events around the end of his first marriage and the start of his second, his independent political image, his temper, his occasional careless remarks, and his close relationship with his children from both marriages. One of McCain's most serious mistakes was a 2000 comment in which he said, "I hate the gooks. I will hate them as long as I live." McCain claimed he was only talking about his captors and guards during the Vietnam War, but many people, especially Asian-Americans, were upset by his use of a racial slur. This comment was seen as part of a longer history of anti-Asian attitudes in the United States. During his time as a Senator, McCain visited Vietnam more than 20 times, often going to the place where he was held captive. After his death, a former Vietnamese ambassador to the United States called McCain "a great friend to Vietnam."

Public opinion about John McCain was more nonpartisan and less based on strong political beliefs compared to many other politicians. His reputation was partly due to his service in the Vietnam War. He also had physical reminders of his war injuries, including scars and the results of melanoma surgery. During campaigns, he joked, "I am older than dirt and have more scars than Frankenstein."

Writers often praised McCain for his bravery, both in war and in politics. However, his changes in political views, especially after the 2008 presidential campaign, made some writers sad and confused about the McCain they had known. By 2013, some of his earlier traits returned, and his image became a mix of different characteristics, including being a Republican who sometimes acted independently, a "traitor" to his party, and a person described as "the maverick, the former maverick, the curmudgeon, the bridge builder, the war hero, the sore loser, old bull, last lion, loose cannon, happy warrior, elder statesman, lion in winter."

McCain described himself as direct and honest but impatient. He had a habit of carrying lucky charms and a sense of humor that sometimes caused problems, such as a joke he made in 1998 about the Clintons that many found inappropriate. He later apologized, and the Clinton White House accepted his apology. McCain was not afraid to admit his mistakes and apologize for them. He was sometimes argumentative with other senators but had better relationships with his staff, who respected him. He formed strong friendships with two senators, Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham, over shared views on foreign policy and travel, and they were called the "Three Amigos."

McCain admitted to saying harsh things in the past, though he said some stories about him were exaggerated. Some experts noted that McCain was not the first political leader to have a temper, and cultural critic Julia Keller argued that voters often prefer leaders who are passionate and energetic. McCain used strong language and raised his voice sometimes, but these incidents became less common over time. Senator Joe Lieberman said, "It is not the kind of anger that is a loss of control. He is a very controlled person." Senator Thad Cochran, who knew McCain for many years, worried about a McCain presidency, saying, "He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me." However, Cochran supported McCain for president when it was clear he would win the nomination. The Chicago Tribune editorial board called McCain a patriot who, although sometimes wrong, was fearless and deserved to be remembered among the few U.S. senators whose names are more recognizable than some presidents.

All of McCain's family members had good relationships with him, and he protected them from some negative effects of his high-profile political life. His family's military tradition continues with his children: his son John Sidney IV ("Jack") graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2009, becoming the fourth generation of his family to do so, and is a helicopter pilot; his son James served two tours with the Marines in the Iraq War; and his son Doug flew jets in the navy. His daughter Meghan became active in online discussions about the future of the Republican Party after the 2008 elections and showed some of McCain's independent tendencies. In 2017, Meghan joined the cast of the popular ABC talk show The View as a co-host. Senator McCain also appeared as a guest on the program.

While serving as a senator, McCain appeared in several television shows and films. He made cameo appearances in Wedding Crashers and two episodes of Parks and Recreation. He also had an uncredited role in 24. McCain hosted Saturday Night Live in 2002 and appeared in two episodes in 2008.

Awards and honors

In addition to his military honors, John McCain received many civilian awards and honors. In 1997, Time magazine listed McCain as one of the "25 Most Influential People in America." In 1999, McCain shared the Profile in Courage Award with Senator Russ Feingold for their work on campaign finance reform. The same year, McCain and Feingold also received the Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government. In 2005, the Eisenhower Institute gave McCain the Eisenhower Leadership Prize, which honors people whose lives show the same integrity and leadership as former President Dwight D. Eisenhower. In 2006, the National Park Trust gave McCain the Bruce F. Vento Public Service Award. That same year, the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs honored McCain with the Henry M. Jackson Distinguished Service Award, named after Senator Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson. In 2007, the World Leadership Forum awarded McCain the Policymaker of the Year Award, which is given internationally to someone who has created or strongly influenced important policies. In 2010, President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia gave McCain the Order of National Hero, an award never given before to a non-Georgian. In 2015, the Kyiv Patriarchate gave McCain its version of the Order of St. Vladimir. In 2016, Allegheny College honored McCain and Vice President Joe Biden with its Prize for Civility in Public Life. That same year, President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine gave McCain the Order of Liberty, Ukraine’s highest award for foreigners. In 2017, President Hashim Thaçi of Kosovo awarded McCain the "Urdhër i Lirisë" (Order of Freedom) medal for his support of Kosovo’s freedom and partnership with the U.S. McCain also received the Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center in 2017. In 2018, the Japanese Emperor gave McCain the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun for strengthening relations between Japan and the United States. In 2022, President Biden posthumously awarded McCain the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

McCain received many honorary degrees, including from Colgate University (LL.D; 2000), The Citadel (DPA; 2002), Wake Forest University (LL.D; May 20, 2002), the University of Southern California (DHL; May 2004), Northwestern University (LL.D; June 17, 2005), Liberty University (2006), The New School (2006), and the Royal Military College of Canada (D.MSc; June 27, 2013). He was also named an Honorary Patron of the University Philosophical Society at Trinity College Dublin in 2005.

On July 11, 2018, the USS John S. McCain, originally named after McCain’s father and grandfather, was rededicated in his name.

On November 29, 2017, the Phoenix City Council voted to name Terminal 3 at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in honor of McCain. The terminal opened on January 7, 2019, after McCain’s death in August 2018.

Commemoration

On April 4, 2019, the Kyiv City Council changed the name of a street that was previously called Ivan Kudria Street to "John McCain Street."

There is also a John McCain Street in the city of Kryvyi Rih. The cities of Vinnytsia and Sumy have a street named Senator McCain Street.

A John McCain memorial was built in Hanoi. This memorial shows how McCain and the United States relate to Vietnam.

Works

• Faith of My Fathers by John McCain and Mark Salter. Published by Random House in 1999. ISBN 0-375-50191-6. Later made into a 2005 television film.
• Worth the Fighting For by John McCain and Mark Salter. Published by Random House in September 2002. ISBN 0-375-50542-3.
• Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Braver Life by John McCain and Mark Salter. Published by Random House in 2004. ISBN 1-4000-6030-3.
• Character Is Destiny: Inspiring Stories Every Young Person Should Know and Every Adult Should Remember by John McCain and Mark Salter. Published by Random House in 2005. ISBN 1-4000-6412-0.
• Hard Call: Great Decisions and the Extraordinary People Who Made Them by John McCain and Mark Salter. Published by Hachette in 2007. ISBN 0-446-58040-6.
• Thirteen Soldiers: A Personal History of Americans at War by John McCain and Mark Salter. Published by Simon & Schuster in 2014. ISBN 1-4767-5965-0.
• The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights, and Other Appreciations by John McCain and Mark Salter. Published by Simon & Schuster in 2018. ISBN 978-1501178009.

• "How the POW's Fought Back," written by John S. McCain III, Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy. Published in U.S. News & World Report on May 14, 1973. Reprinted for the web under a different title in 2008. Reprinted in Reporting Vietnam, Part Two: American Journalism 1969–1975 by The Library of America in 1998. ISBN 1-883011-59-0.
• "The Code of Conduct and the Vietnam Prisoners of War," written by John S. McCain, Commander, U.S. Navy. Published by the National War College on April 8, 1974. The original paper is archived at the Wayback Machine on June 24, 2008.
• Foreword written by John McCain for A Code to Keep: The True Story of America's Longest-Held Civilian POW in Vietnam by Ernest C. Brace. Published by St. Martin's Press in 1988. ISBN 0-7090-3560-8.
• Speeches of John McCain from 1988 to 2000.
• Foreword written by John McCain for Glory Denied: The Saga of Jim Thompson, America's Longest-Held Prisoner by Tom Philpott. Published by W. W. Norton in 2001. ISBN 0-393-02012-6.
• Foreword written by John McCain for The Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam. Published by Random House in 2001. ISBN 1-58836-098-9.
• Foreword written by John S. McCain for Unfinished Business: Afghanistan, the Middle East and Beyond – Defusing the Dangers That Threaten America's Security by Harlan Ullman. Published by Citadel Press in 2002. ISBN 0-8065-2431-6.
• Foreword written by John McCain and Max Cleland for Odysseus in America: Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming by Jonathan Shay. Published by Scribner in 2002. ISBN 0-7432-1156-1.
• Foreword written by John McCain for Debunking 9/11 Myths: Why Conspiracy Theories Can't Stand Up to the Facts by the Editors of Popular Mechanics. Published by Hearst in 2006. ISBN 1-58816-635-X.
• Introduction written by John McCain for Pearl Harbor, the Day of Infamy, an Illustrated History by Dan van der Vat. Published by Black Walnut Books in 2007. ISBN 1-897330-28-6.
• "An Enduring Peace Built on Freedom: Securing America's Future" by John McCain. Published in Foreign Affairs in November/December 2007.