WI: Senator John McCain (D-AZ)

So, I was listening to a radio talk show host today, and he was talking about how the Republicans had strategized the 2008 election, and he briefly mentioned that John McCain had nearly left the GOP and become a Democrat in 2002. I dunno if this really happened, but if so, how did that happen? I'm a little confused about it.

And, if it did happen: WI John McCain became a Democrat in 2002? Would he run for the Democratic nomination for president in 2004? 2008? What do you think would happen?
 
I don't think McCain would jive well with the Dems: he was disenchanted with the party, had some talks with Kerry of which nothing came. Ultimately, McCain is too conservative for them, especially on FP. If he did switch, they'd say he was never a real Republican anyways, and all the rest of it. Floor-crossers usually don't seek the party leadership in the US. It did happen in PI twice, but that's OT.
 
Impossible. McCain was a maverick not in the fact that he was a moderate - he wasn't a Southern Christian Conservative, but he was pretty conservative - it was in that he was willing to challenge the establishment.

The idea of him joining a liberal/progressive/whatever term you prefer party is ludicrous.
 
McCain is not such an egotist as to deny Bush re-election and have an ultralib like Kerry win the WH in November. Besides, all presidential challengers want the nomination for themselves either at that moment or in the next cycle, so they won't commit political harakiri.
 
Eh, he'd likely share Liberman's fate at being drummed out for going against the party line somewhere along the line.

If he ran for the Dem nomination in 2004, that could get very interesting to say the least. That definitely would've gotten me out to vote in the primary(08 was the first time I ever bothered voting in one, usually by the time they get to Texas, the writing's already on the wall).

If McCain somehow got the nomination over Kerry(don't forget Howard Dean!), I'd definitely vote for him over Bush. Even if he's a quasi-Texan. :p
 
Well, the South gave the Dems the man who returned them to power after a quarter-century of ideological exile. Not to mention LBJ, Wilson and a few others.
 
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