Arizona Sen. John McCain is holding steady on his reelection campaign. A recently released Data Orbital LLC statewide poll puts McCain at 50-29 against GOP challenger Kelli Ward. Though McCain will likely successfully make it onto the ballot, it’s unclear if he’ll reign supreme come the general election.
The Vietnam vet and former POW has a whole lot to worry about when it comes to the presidential race and its down-ticket implications. McCain’s endorsement of Republican nominee Donald Trump could come back to haunt him, and this MoveOn.org ad certainly won’t help matters.
Khizr Khan was interview by Arizona PBS affiliate Cronkite News and shared a story of sending his son McCain’s book Why Courage Matters. The novel would be the last Khizr shipped to Capt. Humayun Khan before his son was killed by suicide bombers. The feat of bravery earned Humayun a Bronze Star and Purple Heart posthumously—two awards that McCain also has.
According to Khizr, his son loved the book and its message. “Sen. McCain, for us, is an embodiment of somebody who has given so much to this country and continues to do so,” Khizr says before calling on McCain to publicly denounce Trump and unendorse him.
The full interview originally aired on Wednesday. MoveOn is hoping its supercut Facebook ad will reach even more voters, explicitly stating that the 47 seconds of footage are meant to target Arizona voters as well as veterans. According to a press release, the campaign coincides with a wider movement calling on McCain to unendorse Trump and not just speak out against comments he doesn’t agree with.
“Last week, in partnership with the newly formed veterans group, Common Defense, a military veteran from Arizona joined vets from around the country to deliver more than 100,000 signatures to Sen. McCain’s Washington, D.C. office,” the press release reads in part.
The petition’s message? Urge the senator to revoke his endorsement. As of this writing, it’s been signed by over 110,000 people. MoveOn’s ad has similarly caught on, with over 66,000 views amassed in less than 24 hours.