Senate Hopeful J.D. Hayworth is firing back after reports that he believes the country would be worse off if John McCain had won the 2008 presidential election.

Check out our story on the matter here.

At a campaign stop Tuesday night, Hayworth said "don't get me wrong, I don't like the guy we've got there now, but I think the last thing we needed was a progressive trying to wear a Republican cloth coat as president of the United States."

The self-proclaimed "consistent conservative" took to KFYI, his former employer, to say the "left-leaning" media is misconstruing his comments to appease McCain campaign spokesman Brian Rogers.

Check out the audio of J.D.'s rant after the jump. 

• Elections