Former Congressman J.D. Hayworth of Arizona stopped by the John Birch Society booth at the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) conference in Washington, D.C. last week and spoke with The New American’s William F. Jasper. Mr. Hayworth recently announced his candidacy for Senator from Arizona and will challenge 23-year incumbent, John McCain, in the upcoming primary.
Hayworth told Jasper that he was persuaded to run by “so many Arizonans” who are tired of John McCain “campaigning as a conservative, but legislating like a liberal.” This sentiment swept the electorate in light of Senator McCain’s support of an amnesty bill that would afford legal immigrant status to millions of immigrants who entered this country illegally.
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Hayworth, who quit as job as a talk-show host to re-enter the political fray, reckons that what happens in Arizona will have long-term implications for the conservative movement nationwide. Rob Haney, Chairman of the Maricopa County Republican Party, agrees, “J.D. is our great hope. McCain has been a thorn in our side for years. A dagger in our backs, really,” he said.
In an interview touching on many topics of interest to constitutionalists, Hayworth tells Jasper that, unlike John McCain who claims to be a conservative and then sponsors cap and trade legislation and backs regulations that hinder the ability of the states to patrol the porous southern border, with Hayworth, “what you see is what you get.” As an indication of his determination not to become a victim of Potomac Fever, Hayworth assured Jasper that he would “serve no more than two consecutive six-year terms” in the Senate and then he would return home to champion the conservative cause in other ways.
There is every indication that Hayworth’s challenge to McCain in the primary election for the Senate will prompt the four-term incumbent to mute or outright reverse his liberal stance on issues such as climate change, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, gays in the military, and the bailout of banks. Arizonans interested in an alternative would do themselves a sincere service by watching William F. Jasper’s engaging interview with J.D. Hayworth below.
Thumbnail photo: J.D. Hayworth
