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McCain challenge, sheriff's latest bid top Arizona primary
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PHOENIX (AP) — Primary challenges to two of the state's longest-serving Republicans are drawing attention as Arizona voters head to the polls Tuesday.
Sen. John McCain is facing a tough battle with a former state senator who is vowing to retire the five-term Republican a day after his 80th birthday. And six-term Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio faces a trio of challengers in his primary.
McCain has been campaigning hard in recent weeks and made one last stop Monday at a Phoenix fire station before meeting with campaign workers to urge them to make a final push to victory. The 2008 GOP presidential nominee is facing former Sen. Kelli Ward, who lags in the polls but has mounted an aggressive primary challenge.
Ward has been mainly ignored by McCain, who is looking to November when he faces off against a well-funded Democrat in Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick — if he wins Tuesday's primary election.
Meanwhile, Arpaio is seeking a seventh term with a full war chest of more than $10 million. He's hoping voters ignore a federal judge's recent order referring him for criminal contempt of court charges.
U.S. District Judge Murray Snow's Aug. 19 ruling came in a long-running case where the sheriff acknowledged he failed to stop his signature immigration patrols despite Snow's order to halt them.
He faces three Republican challengers on Tuesday: Former Buckeye Police Chief Dan Saban, retired sheriff's Deputy Wayne Baker and Marsha Hill, former commander of a sheriff's volunteer group. A Democratic challenger awaits in November if Arpaio wins the primary.
McCain's main challenger has made his age and vitality an issue, questioning his ability to serve another six-year term.
"I'll let the people of Arizona who know me very well make that judgment," McCain said.
Ward has cast the race as a David and Goliath battle, one that "David won."
"The overwhelming message is it is time for Sen. McCain to retire and it's time for new blood to go into Washington D.C. and the people overwhelmingly want to vote for Kelli Ward," she said in a recent interview.
Also on the Republican ballot is radio talk show host Clair Van Steenwyk, along with Alex Meluskey, who suspended his campaign early this month.
McCain has also been dogged with questions about Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who has made comments that drew the senator's ire, and even questioned McCain's own status as a war hero because he was a prisoner of war.
McCain has nonetheless stood by Trump. In an exchange with a reporter Monday, he was asked about the current political environment, where as a former GOP presidential nominee he's supporting the current nominee.
"A great American, yes," McCain said. His campaign staff later said he was jokingly referring to himself.
All nine U.S. House seats are also on the primary ballot, although the Republican battles for the 1st, 4th and 5th districts and the Democratic race for the 2nd district are the tight ones.
In the 1st District, five Republicans are vying for the chance to advance to the General Election and face the Democrat seeking Kirkpatrick's seat. They are Gary Kiehne, Ken Bennett, Paul Babeu, Shawn Redd and Wendy Rogers. Arizona House Speaker David Gowan suspended his campaign but remains on the ballot.
The 4th District features a primary challenge to three-term Rep. Paul Gosar. Former Buckeye City Councilman Ray Strauss has benefited from more than $280,000 in spending from a group that seeks to unseat "freedom caucus" members who ousted House Speaker John Boehner.
The 5th District features a four-way race among Republicans who want to replace retiring Rep. Matt Salmon in the heavily GOP district in the eastern Phoenix suburbs. Voters will choose between Christine Jones, Andy Biggs, Justin Olson and Don Stapley.
In the 2nd District, Democrats Matt Heinz and Victoria Steele are vying for a chance to go up against incumbent U.S. Rep. Martha McSally, a first-term Republican who won the seat by only 167 votes in 2014. The November contest is expected to be competitive and one of the most closely watched in the nation.
The other statewide race features a five-way race among Republicans seeking three seats on the state's utility regulation panel, the Arizona Corporation Commission. The candidates are incumbents Bob Burns and Andy Tobin and commission hopefuls Al Melvin, Rick Gray and Boyd Dunn.
Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m., with the first results expected just after 8 p.m. MST.
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This story has been corrected to show Arpaio has raised more than $10 million instead of nearly $10 million.
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