Arizona county’s Republican committee debates censuring Cindy McCain

An Arizona county’s Republican committee considered censuring Cindy McCain, widow of the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), according to multiple reports.

The Maricopa County Republican Committee debated a measure that would censure Cindy McCain on Saturday, the Arizona Republic reported, citing her support for causes such as gay marriage, larger government and “others that run counter to Republican values.” 

The effort was part of a resolution to censure Sen. Jeff Flake, which passed the committee, but the measure ultimately did not include a vote to censure McCain because the rules did not allow for a resolution to be amended.

Members of the McCain family, including John McCain, Cindy McCain and their daughter Meghan McCain, have been critical of President Trump. John McCain also faced the ire of the president before he died from brain cancer in 2018. 

Cindy McCain publicly supported Biden’s presidential bid and also serves on his transition advisory board. Flake also endorsed Biden in his run. Biden won Arizona in the 2020 election, becoming the first Democrat to carry the state since 1996.

The Arizona Republican Party said on Twitter it had stated that the county committee had voted on a resolution to censure McCain but that the state party would take up the effort at its Jan. 23 meeting.

After further review, it appears the @MaricopaGOP did not formally censure Cindy McCain. There was a call, a second, and near unanimous cheering/approval – but resolutions can’t be amended from the floor. The @AZGOP will vote on a “Censure McCain” resolution on Jan 23. Thank you!

— Arizona Republican Party (@AZGOP) January 10, 2021

The censure effort comes after the Arizona GOP suffered losses in what was considered a conservative state in the last two election cycles.

Aside from Biden’s victory, Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D) and Mark Kelly (D) both prevailed in the 2018 midterms and 2020, respectively. Their wins gave Democrats control of both Senate seats for the first time in almost 70 years.

In response to the censure, McCain said on Twitter, “I am a proud lifelong Republican and will continue to support candidates who put country over party and stand for the rule of law.”

I am a proud lifelong Republican and will continue to support candidates who put country over party and stand for the rule of law. https://t.co/iTVj0pibOm

— Cindy McCain (@cindymccain) January 9, 2021

An earlier version of this report relied on incorrect information that the committee had voted on a censure that included McCain. It has been updated Sunday.