McCain announced he is seeking the 2008 Presidential nomination from the
GOP on the
February 28, 2007, telecast of the
Late Show With David Letterman. On
April 25, 2007, shortly after noon in Prescott Park on the waterfront of
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, McCain officially started his 2008 presidential campaign. He then visited
Manchester, New Hampshire, on the same day before starting a planned three day campaign rally in
South Carolina, Iowa, Nevada, and
Arizona.
Should McCain win in 2008, he would be the oldest person to assume the Presidency in history
at initial ascension to office, being 72 years old and surpassing
Ronald Reagan, who was 69 years old at his inauguration following the
1980 election. He has dismissed concerns about his age and past health concerns (
malignant melanoma in 2000), stating in 2005 that his health was "excellent." In the event of his victory in 2008, he would also become the
first President of the United States to be born in a U.S. territory outside of the current 50 states.
McCain's oft-cited strengths as a presidential candidate in 2008 include national name recognition, sponsorship of major lobbying and campaign finance reform initiatives, leadership in exposing the
Abramoff scandal, military service (including years as a tortured
POW), competing in the 2000 presidential campaign (where he won the New Hampshire primary), extensive fund-raising abilities, strong advocacy for President Bush's re-election campaign in 2004, and nominee for Vice President. A
Time Magazine poll dated January 2007 shows McCain trailing
Hillary Clinton by 1%; results also indicate that more Americans are familiar with McCain than any of the other frontrunners, including Republican candidate and former New York mayor
Rudy Giuliani, and Democratic hopeful Senator
Barack Obama. During the 2006 election cycle, McCain attended 346 events and raised more than $10.5 million on behalf of Republican candidates. He also donated nearly $1.5 million to federal, state and county parties.
In May 2006, McCain gave the commencement address at
Jerry Falwell's Liberty University. During his 2000 presidential bid, McCain had called Falwell an "agent of intolerance." With significant coverage during the campaign, McCain said that he would never back down from his earlier statement. His later appearance at Liberty University prompted questions about the McCain-Falwell relationship and a possible presidential run in 2008. McCain backtracked and stated that Falwell was no longer as divisive and the two have discussed their shared values. McCain delivered a similar address at
The New School commencement in
Madison Square Garden. McCain was received by boos, jeers, and several students and professors turned their backs or waved fliers reading "McCain does not speak for me." McCain's speech mentioned his unwavering support for the Iraq War and focused on hearing opposing viewpoints, listening to each other, and the relevance of opposition in a democracy. At the recent inauguration of
Alabama governor
Bob Riley, McCain mentioned the incumbent as a possible running mate in the 2008 election.
He hired a board member of the
Project for the New American Century, Randy Scheunemann, as his foreign-policy aide.
In April 2007, McCain delivered three policy speeches. These focused on
Iraq, the
U.S. Economy, and on
Energy.
Sen. McCain's April 11 speech on Iraq was delivered to the
Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Corps of Cadets after his return from Iraq. His speech centered on his support for a new strategy in Iraq and his opposition to Democratic efforts towards troop withdrawal.The U.S. Senator repeated his criticism of the
Bush administration's handling of the
Iraq War on
April 29, 2007 in
Elko, Nevada, and stated that
Donald Rumsfeld will be remembered as one the worst defense secretaries in history.
Sen. McCain delivered an April 16 speech on the
U.S. Economy to the Economic Club of Memphis. In his speech, McCain criticized wasteful spending and reiterated his promise to make any sponsors of pork or earmarks "famous" when he becomes President.
Sen. McCain delivered an April 23 speech on
Energy policy at the
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) at the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center in Washington D.C. His speech connected energy independence with national security, climate change, and the environment. McCain proposed increasing ethanol imports, moving from exploration to production of plug-in electric vehicles, and better harnessing nuclear power much as Europe has managed to do.
McCain participated in the first 2008 Republican Presidential Candidates Debate on
May 3, 2007, at the
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library along with the other Republican presidential contenders. The debate was sponsored by
MSNBC, politico.com, The Reagan Library, and
Nancy Reagan.
McCain's second-quarter 2007 fundraising totals were poor, with intake falling from $13.6 million in the first quarter to $11.2 million in the second, and expenses continuing such that only $2 million cash was on hand with about $1 million in debts. Both McCain supporters and political observers pointed to McCain's support for the
Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, very unpopular among the Republican base electorate, as a primary cause of his fundraising problems. Large-scale campaign staff downsizing took place in early July, with 50 to 100 staffers let go and others taking pay cuts or switching to no pay. McCain's aides said the campaign was considering taking public matching funds, and would focus its efforts on the early primary and caucus states. McCain however said he was not considering dropping out of the race. Campaign shakeups reached the top level on
July 10, 2007, when his campaign manager and campaign chief strategist both departed.
Since his drop in the polls, John McCain has taken his familiar position as an underdog. Senator McCain has returned to his "Straight Talk" rhetoric even though he no longer rides on his elaborate bus.
As of September 2007, McCain's support in most
state-by-state polls for the 2008 Republican nomination has dropped below that of Rudy Giuliani,
Fred Thompson and
Mitt Romney. Specifically, Giuliani polls ahead of all other candidates in a majority of states including the delegate-rich states of California , New York and Florida. Thompson shows strength in southern states such as Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina (which is a key early state), Georgia, Tennessee (which he served as U.S. Senator) and Alabama (his birthplace). Romney shows strength in the key early states of Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, and is also polling well in Michigan (which may be a key early state), Utah and Idaho. Support for McCain is strongest in his home state of Arizona.