Cindy McCain says no one in Republican Party carries ‘voice of reason’ after husband’s death
Cindy McCain, the wife of the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), says no one in the GOP has become the party’s “voice of reason” after her husband’s death last year.
McCain said in an interview with ABC News released Wednesday that she hasn’t seen anyone step up to fill the role for the sake of bipartisanship.
“That was a tough torch to carry and, as John said, there were many lonely days because he always said what was on his mind,” she recalled.
McCain added that her husband, who served as the Republican Party’s presidential nominee in 2008, “never did anything deliberately to be hurtful or anything.”
“I don’t see anybody carrying that mantle at all, I don’t see anyone carrying the voice — the voice of reason,” she said.{mosads}
She appeared to include one of her husband’s closest friends and Republican colleagues, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), in that sentiment.
Graham has become one of President Trump’s fiercest allies in Congress, even after Trump continued to attack the late senator following his death.
“Lindsey has his own political career to worry about and his own political life,” Cindy McCain said. “I would just hope that in the long run, everyone would begin to move in the right direction, including Lindsey or anybody else.”
“Lindsey’s a part of my family,” she added. “He’s a good friend and I cannot, [and] will not, be critical of Lindsey.”
Her daughter, “The View” co-host Meghan McCain, has taken a different tact concerning her father’s longtime friend.
“Whatever is happening to Lindsey, this is not the person I used to know,” the conservative commentator said on “The View” in July.
It is approaching the one year anniversary of when John McCain died of an aggressive type of brain cancer on Aug. 25 at the age of 81.
Members of his family and The McCain Institute are planning to honor his legacy with a social media campaign using the hashtag “ActsofCivility.”
The push will reportedly encourage social media users to work with peers or colleagues who have different views as well as encourage open-minded discussions with family members with whom one might disagree.
Cindy McCain kicked off the initiative on Wednesday, sharing a video calling on others to “reach across the aisle” and “come together for civil engagement.”
Commit to something larger than yourself. Reach across the aisle. Break the barrier. Come together for civil engagement #ActsOfCivility https://t.co/lMb4ar7Qq9
— Cindy McCain (@cindymccain) August 21, 2019
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Regular the hill posts