Five-term Arizona Senator John McCain said that he is considering running for reelection in 2016.
As the Washington Post notes, McCain was on KFYI-AM in Phoenix today and host Barry Young asked if he did plan on running in 2016, when he will be 80.
“I'm seriously thinking about maybe giving another opportunity for you to vote for or against me in a few years from now,” McCain said. “I'm seriously giving that a lot of thought.”
Young asked McCain to clarify if he really meant he might run again. “That would not be wrong,” he replied.
The interview was first reported on by the New York Times’ Mark Leibovich, who is covering McCain in Arizona.
McCain was the Republican presidential nominee in 2008, losing to now-President Barack Obama. He’s never won with under 56 percent of the vote and easily beat former congressman J.D. Hayworth in a Republican primary challenge in 2010.
Politico notes that McCain had to clarify remarks he made in September when he suggested that he might be in his final term.
To clarify: I've long said I'll wait a few yrs before thinking about whether to seek reelection in 2016. Focused on our present challenges
— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) September 13, 2013
McCain will likely face a tough challenge from a tea party candidate in 2016. As Reuters notes, he did criticize Texas senator Ted Cruz, but he had kinder words for him on Monday.
“I think he's very smart, he is very articulate. He's very good at what he does. He tapped into an anger, a discontent out there,” McCain said of Cruz at the Reuters Washington Summit.
image: Wikimedia Commons
