TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - Is experience an asset, or a liability in the Arizona race for United States Senate?
John McCain is touting his experience as he runs for his sixth, six year term in the Senate. But his opponent, Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick is trying to convince voters McCain's long time in the Senate is a reason to vote against him.
Ann Kirkpatrick has served three, two-year terms in Congress now she is working to move up to the Senate.
She makes a point of showing her roots in northern Arizona. She was born on the northern Apache reservation where her parents operated a store.
One of her main campaign pitches is the claim John McCain's five terms in the Senate have turned him from a Maverick to an entrenched part of the establishment.
She sees limiting time in office as one way to break the gridlock in Washington.
"My thought is we should have term limits; three two-year term limits in the House and two six-year term limits in the Senate. If you run those back to back that's 18 years in Washington DC. That's enough."
But John McCain has made his history a key part of his campaign.
One of his political advertisements says, "But John McCain has a lifetime of service. Fighter pilot. POW. Protecting our veterans. As Chairman of the Senate Armed Services committee John McCain is making America stronger and safer."
McCain agrees with Kirkpatrick that he has changed.
"I could go through a long list of accomplishments that I've done for Arizona which because of my influence and my standing in the United States Senate has allowed me to do. I was not nearly that influential years ago."
Both candidates agree on supporting Davis-Monthan and Fort Huachuca and their importance to our local economy.
He's not running for Senator but Donald Trump is an issue in the battle for U.S. Senate between incumbent John McCain and Ann Kirkpatrick.
Kirkpatrick has tried to tie Trump's controversial campaign to McCain, and McCain continued to support Trump for President until new, lewd, recordings of Trump prompted McCain and other prominent Republicans and break with him.
Kirkpatrick's not the only Democratic candidate who tried to pin Donald Trump on an opponent. But the tactic's been an important part of her campaign.
One of her political ads shows Trump as it says, "McCain endorsed Donald Trump for President, 60 times; even after Trump insulted Latinos, women, people with disabilities, a Gold Star family, veterans with PTSD."
Kirkpatrick says supporting Trump reflects on McCain.
'He's been in Washington for 33 years but he doesn't have good judgement. The fact that he continues to support Trump is evidence of that."
McCain and other prominent Republicans dropped their endorsement of Trump after recordings came out of Trump talking about making aggressive sexual advances on women but Kirkpatrick continues to rap McCain for ever supporting Trump.
Before he broke with Trump, McCain told us he had always supported Republican nominees for President, even if he disagreed with them on some issues.
He also worried about the tone of this years politics.
“You shouldn't call people liars. You shouldn't talk about the size of their hands. You should be respectful. Look, we can be tough. It's not beanbag and I'm tough but to disparage peoples' character, it's not good for the process and I've talked to a lot of young millennials who are completely turned off by this campaign, by both sides."
But now that campaign is wrapping up and it's time for voters to make their choices.
