"The Mav" says he's sittin' this one out.
Arizona Senator John McCain said this week that he has no plans to endorse any candidate in the 2012 GOP presidential primary, which may not sit well with some GOPers who stumped for him during his brutal primary with former TV pitchman J.D. Hayworth.
"I think I'm staying out of this for the first time in many years," "The Mav" told Politico this week.
McCain may not be the most popular Republican in Arizona, but nationally his endorsement could help tip the scales in favor of a particular candidate during the upcoming GOP primary.
One of the more obvious candidates for McCain's nod in the 2012
primary is Sarah Palin, who since being McCain's running
mate in the 2008 presidential election has self-destructed her way to
her own reality TV show.
Prior to her complete implosion, Palin stumped for McCain in Phoenix last summer as he tried to out-conservatize Hayworth in what analysts at one point forecasted to be the fight of McCain's political life.
Another potential GOP presidential candidate who won't be getting a nod
from "the Mav" is Mitt Romney, who despite clashing with McCain during
the 2008 GOP presidential primary, also campaigned for McCain in Arizona last summer.
McCain, as Hayworth pointed out during the primary, is known to
flip-flop on occasion. Despite what he says now, we wouldn't be shocked
if come primary season McCain ends up backing former Minnesota Governor
Tim Pawlenty, who at one point was considered to be a potential running
mate for McCain in the 2008 presidential campaign.
