McCain wins sixth Senate term

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is projected to easily win reelection Tuesday after a hard-fought campaign that largely centered on his ties to Donald Trump.

McCain is expected to easily defeat Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.) to secure a sixth term in the Senate, solidifying his spot as one of the chamber’s longest-serving current members.

{mosads}The Arizona Senate race was once predicted to be among the tightest races of 2016. This spring, polls showed the two rivals in a statistical dead heat.

Throughout the race, Kirkpatrick repeatedly hammered her rival for supporting Trump despite the GOP presidential nominee’s often personal attacks on McCain.

McCain, who won his party’s presidential nomination in 2008, stood by Trump for months despite withering criticism, including comments mocking his time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

The Arizona Republican ultimately retracted his endorsement in October in the wake of the 2005 recording of Trump making  lewd comments about women.

As McCain formally withdrew his support, he wrote in a statement: “He was not my choice, but as a past nominee, I thought it important I respect the fact that Donald Trump won a majority of the delegates by the rules our party set.”

Since then, McCain has publicly criticized Trump, though he would not tell reporters Tuesday when asked whether he voted for the GOP nominee.