McCain Beats Hayworth by a Near 2-1 Margin

Tonight, John McCain earned a decisive victory over J.D. Hayworth in the Arizona Republican Senate Primary defeating the former Congressman by a near 2-1 margin.

As of 12:40 a.m. EST with a third of the precincts reporting, McCain won 58% of the vote while Hayworth has obtained 30%.

Before I go any further I would be remiss if I did not make note of the efforts of IC co-editor Rachel Alexander on behalf of Hayworth. She worked vigorously on behalf of the candidate she believed would better represent Arizona's conservative voice and better represent the interests of Arizonans in Washington.

I know that many conservatives have an axe to grind with McCain. Frankly, I don't always find myself in agreement with him. But he won fair and square. It isn't to say that Hayworth's message didn't have some resonance. But the problem wasn't the message so much as the messenger. When Glenn Beck, who has even less affection for McCain than he does for President Obama, ripped Hayworth this past June you knew it was going to be a hard sell.

For all his faults, there are a critical mass of people who still respect and trust McCain. Think of McCain as an old pair of shoes. He's tattered and full of holes. But people are comfortable wearing those shoes even if they are tattered and full of holes.

That imagery aside there is a segment of the population who admire his military service and are willing to overlook his shortcomings. There is also a segment of the population inclined to give McCain deference given that he was the GOP's presidential nominee less than two years ago. If nothing else, McCain plucked Sarah Palin from near obscurity. If that doesn't count for something then I don't know what does.