John McCain and his 2008 ‘Never-Give-Up’ Race

Jay Lucas
SUNSHINE INITIATIVE
More Online Karen and Jay Lucas share thoughts on the power of belief – and how in the end, yes, it all can work out. With guest appearance, near the end, by friend, Rhonda Burns. Go to https://tinyurl.com/mr4anwyf or scan the QR code below.

This week we are delighted to profile the late Senator John McCain – who through adversity – fought a courageous fight in the Republican primary process in 2008, and by ultimately winning the nomination, proved that sometimes it all does work out.

One of the benefits of the first-in-the-nation primary in New Hampshire is that you get to see pretty much everybody who has the ambition to become President of the United States. The bigger names may seem to get all of the national media attention but hope springs eternal even for minor candidates – the underdogs – in the New Hampshire primary.

A wonderful example of this occurred back In 2008. In a crowded field of candidates, John McCain was a prominent contender who had the national recognition and ambition to run for the highest office in the land, but it was not a smooth ride.

Short on cash, low in the polls, and on the brink of ending his candidacy, McCain was not expected to win New Hampshire, let alone become the nominee for November. He had to cut his staff size and faced some controversial votes in the US Senate. In fact, his campaign was so ‘out of money,’ that they had to stop chartering airplanes and ended up having to buy cheap tickets and fly commercial. These factors usually are enough to convince (or force) candidates to drop out of the race, but not McCain.

Even though he had a lot of ground to make up, he and his team put in the hard work, and it paid off. After countless town halls, phone calls, and plenty of one-on-one personal time with the voters, McCain’s tenacity turned the tide of his campaign and won the New Hampshire Primary.

The momentum of the New Hampshire Primary gave McCain the lead in the other primaries as well, and soon, he was no longer an underdog but a candidate who had a strong personal connection with the voters. His race in 2008 showed that sometimes, even when the odds are against you, you have what it takes inside you to win.