John McCain

=== First two terms in the U.S. Senate ===

[[US House and Senate career of John McCain (until 2000)#U.S. Senator|McCain's Senate career began]] in January 1987, after he defeated his Democratic opponent, former state legislator [[Richard Kimball]], by 20&nbsp;percentage points in the 1986 election.<ref name=Frantz /><ref name="az-senate" /> McCain succeeded Arizona native, conservative icon, and the 1964 Republican presidential nominee [[Barry Goldwater]] upon Goldwater's retirement as [[List of United States senators from Arizona|U.S. senator from Arizona]] for 30 years.<ref name="az-senate">Nowicki, Dan and Muller, Bill. [https://www.azcentral.com/news/specials/mccain/articles/0301mccainbio-chapter6.html "John McCain Report: The Senate calls"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160123080838/http://www.azcentral.com/news/specials/mccain/articles/0301mccainbio-chapter6.html |date=January 23, 2016 }}, ''[[The Arizona Republic]]'' (March 1, 2007). Retrieved November 23, 2007.</ref> In January 1988, McCain voted in favor of the [[Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/100-1988/s432|title=TO PASS S 557, CIVIL RIGHTS RESTORATION ACT, A BILL ... -- Senate Vote #432 -- Jan 28, 1988|website=GovTrack.us|access-date=May 14, 2020|archive-date=July 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728203812/https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/100-1988/s432|url-status=live}}</ref> and voted to override President Reagan's veto of that legislation the following March.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/100-1988/s487|title=TO ADOPT, OVER THE PRESIDENT'S VETO OF S 557, CIVIL ... -- Senate Vote #487 -- Mar 22, 1988|website=GovTrack.us|access-date=May 14, 2020|archive-date=August 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810145251/https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/100-1988/s487|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Reagans with John McCain 1987.jpg|thumb|alt=White-haired man in suit greets dark-haired man in suit in formal setting, as gaunt, well-coiffed woman looks on| President [[Ronald Reagan]] greets McCain as First Lady [[Nancy Reagan]] looks on, March 1987]]

Senator McCain became a member of the [[United States Senate Committee on Armed Services|Armed Services Committee]], with which he had formerly done his Navy liaison work; he also joined the [[United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation|Commerce Committee]] and the [[United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs|Indian Affairs Committee]].<ref name="az-senate" /> He continued to support the Native American agenda.<ref name="Barone112">[[Michael Barone (pundit)|Barone, Michael]]; Ujifusa, Grant; [[Richard E. Cohen|Cohen, Richard E.]] ''[[The Almanac of American Politics]], 2000'', p. 112 (National Journal 1999). {{ISBN|0-8129-3194-7}}.</ref> As first a House member and then a senator—and as a lifelong gambler with close ties to the gambling industry<ref>Becker, Jo; Van Natta, Don. [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/28/us/politics/28gambling-web.html "For McCain and Team, a Host of Ties to Gambling"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180825152122/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/28/us/politics/28gambling-web.html |date=August 25, 2018 }}, ''The New York Times'' (September 27, 2008). Retrieved September 29, 2008.</ref>—McCain was one of the main authors of the 1988 [[Indian Gaming Regulatory Act]],<ref name="nigc">Johnson, Tadd. "[http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/17932/1/ar980140.pdf Regulatory Issues and Impacts of Gaming in Indian Country"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080809030357/http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/17932/1/ar980140.pdf |date=August 9, 2008 }}, ''Increasing Understanding of Public Problems and Policies: Proceedings of the 1998 National Public Policy Education Conference'', pp. 140–44 (September 1998)</ref><ref name="Sweeney">Sweeney, James. [http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060911/news_1n11gaming.html "New rules on Indian gaming face longer odds"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917032941/http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060911/news_1n11gaming.html |date=September 17, 2008}}, ''[[The San Diego Union-Tribune]]'' (September 11, 2006). Retrieved July 1, 2008.</ref> which codified rules regarding [[Native American gambling enterprises]].<ref name="mason">Mason, W. Dale. ''Indian Gaming: Tribal Sovereignty and American Politics'', pp. 60–64 ([[University of Oklahoma Press]] 2000). {{ISBN|0-8061-3260-4}}</ref> McCain was also a strong supporter of the [[Gramm–Rudman]] legislation that enforced automatic spending cuts in the case of budget deficits.<ref>Alexander, ''Man of the People'', p. 112</ref>

McCain soon gained national visibility. He delivered a well-received speech at the [[1988 Republican National Convention]], was mentioned by the press as a [[short list]] vice-presidential running mate for Republican nominee [[George H. W. Bush]], and was named chairman of Veterans for Bush.<ref name="az-senate" /><ref>Alexander, ''Man of the People'', pp. 115–20</ref>

==== Keating Five ====
{{main|Keating Five}}
McCain became embroiled in [[US House and Senate career of John McCain (until 2000)#Keating Five scandal|a scandal]] during the 1980s, as one of five United States senators comprising the so-called [[Keating Five]].<ref name="NYTKeating">Abramson, Jill; Mitchell, Alison. [https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/21/us/senate-inquiry-in-keating-case-tested-mccain.html "Senate Inquiry In Keating Case Tested McCain"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826210324/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/21/us/senate-inquiry-in-keating-case-tested-mccain.html |date=August 26, 2018 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'' (November 21, 1999). Retrieved May 10, 2008.</ref> Between 1982 and 1987, McCain had received $112,000 in lawful<ref name="nyt-sen-eth" /> political contributions from Charles Keating Jr. and his associates at [[Lincoln Savings and Loan Association]], along with trips on Keating's jets<ref name="NYTKeating" /> that McCain belatedly repaid, in 1989.<ref>Rasky, Susan. [https://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/22/us/washington-talk-senator-mccain-savings-loan-affair-now-personal-demon.html "To Senator McCain, the Savings and Loan Affair Is Now a Personal Demon"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180827044042/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/22/us/washington-talk-senator-mccain-savings-loan-affair-now-personal-demon.html |date=August 27, 2018 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'' (December 22, 1989). Retrieved April 19, 2008.</ref> In 1987, McCain was one of the five senators whom Keating contacted to prevent the government's seizure of Lincoln, and McCain met twice with federal regulators to discuss the government's investigation of Lincoln.<ref name="NYTKeating" /> In 1999, McCain said: "The appearance of it was wrong. It's a wrong appearance when a group of senators appear in a meeting with a group of regulators, because it conveys the impression of undue and improper influence. And it was the wrong thing to do."<ref name="az-keating" /> In the end, McCain was cleared by the [[Senate Ethics Committee]] of acting improperly or violating any law or Senate rule, but was mildly rebuked for exercising "poor judgment".<ref name="nyt-sen-eth">[https://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/28/us/excerpts-of-statement-by-senate-ethics-panel.html "Excerpts of Statement By Senate Ethics Panel"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180827044059/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/28/us/excerpts-of-statement-by-senate-ethics-panel.html |date=August 27, 2018 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'' (February 28, 1991). Retrieved April 19, 2008.</ref><ref name="az-keating">Nowicki, Dan and Muller, Bill. [https://www.azcentral.com/news/specials/mccain/articles/0301mccainbio-chapter7.html "John McCain Report: The Keating Five"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011225847/http://www.azcentral.com/news/specials/mccain/articles/0301mccainbio-chapter7.html |date=October 11, 2014 }}, ''[[The Arizona Republic]]'' (March 1, 2007). Retrieval date November 23, 2007.</ref><ref>{{cite news | publisher = govtrack.us | title = Sen. John McCain, Former Senator for Arizona | url = https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/john_mccain/300071 | access-date = June 10, 2020 | archive-date = November 23, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211123235343/https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/john_mccain/300071 | url-status = live }}</ref>

In his 1992 re-election bid, the Keating Five affair was not a major issue,<ref name="az-rebound">Nowicki, Dan and Muller, Bill. [https://www.azcentral.com/news/specials/mccain/articles/0301mccainbio-chapter8.html "John McCain Report: Overcoming scandal, moving on"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414183720/http://www.azcentral.com/news/specials/mccain/articles/0301mccainbio-chapter8.html |date=April 14, 2016 }}, ''[[The Arizona Republic]]'' (March 1, 2007). Retrieved November 23, 2007.</ref> and he won handily, gaining 56&nbsp;percent of the vote to defeat Democratic community and [[civil rights]] activist Claire Sargent and independent former governor, [[Evan Mecham]].<ref>Alexander, ''Man of the People'', pp. 150–51</ref>

[[File:Bush Contact Sheet P16287 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|President [[George H. W. Bush]] meets with McCain, 1990]]

==== Political independence ====
McCain developed a reputation for [[US House and Senate career of John McCain (until 2000)#A maverick senator|independence]] during the 1990s.<ref name="wapo070598">{{cite news |first=Dan |last=Balz |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/campaigns/wh2000/stories/wh070598.htm |title=McCain Weighs Options Amid Setbacks |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=July 5, 1998 |access-date=May 10, 2008 |archive-date=April 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415031456/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/campaigns/wh2000/stories/wh070598.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> He took pride in challenging party leadership and establishment forces, becoming difficult to categorize politically.<ref name="wapo070598" />

[[File:McCain family at christening of USS John S. McCain (DDG-56).jpg|thumb|alt=White-haired man, elderly white-haired woman, young boy, young girl, short-haired woman holding roses, all in front of sign showing a ship's silhouette|The 1992 christening of {{USS|John S. McCain|DDG-56|6}} at [[Bath Iron Works]], with his mother [[Roberta McCain|Roberta]], son Jack, daughter [[Meghan McCain|Meghan]], and wife [[Cindy McCain|Cindy]]]]

As a member of the 1991–1993 [[Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs]], chaired by fellow Vietnam War veteran and Democrat, [[John Kerry]], McCain investigated the [[Vietnam War POW/MIA issue]], to determine the fate of U.S. service personnel listed as [[missing in action]] during the Vietnam War.<ref name="alex-152">Alexander, ''Man of the People'', pp. 152–54</ref> The committee's unanimous report stated there was "no compelling evidence that proves that any American remains alive in captivity in Southeast Asia."<ref>[https://fas.org/irp/congress/1993_rpt/pow-exec.html Report of the Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010150311/https://fas.org/irp/congress/1993_rpt/pow-exec.html |date=October 10, 2017 }}, [[U.S. Senate]] (January 13, 1993). Retrieved January 3, 2008.</ref> Helped by McCain's efforts, in 1995 the U.S. normalized diplomatic relations with Vietnam.<ref name="time072495">Walsh, James. [https://web.archive.org/web/20080214004519/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,983202,00.html "Good Morning, Vietnam"], ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' (July 24, 1995). Retrieved January 5, 2008.</ref> McCain was vilified by some POW/MIA activists who, despite the committee's unanimous report, believed large numbers of Americans were still held against their will in Southeast Asia.<ref name="time072495" /><ref name="alex-170">Alexander, ''Man of the People'', pp. 170–71</ref><ref name="bg062103">Farrell, John. [https://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/062103.shtml "At the center of power, seeking the summit"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080417020040/http://boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/062103.shtml |date=April 17, 2008 }}, ''[[The Boston Globe]]'' (June 21, 2003). Retrieved January 5, 2008.</ref> From January 1993 until his death, McCain was Chairman of the [[International Republican Institute]], an organization partly funded by the U.S. government that supports the emergence of political democracy worldwide.<ref>McIntire, Mike. [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/28/us/politics/28IRI.html "Democracy Group Gives Donors Access to McCain"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814202000/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/28/us/politics/28IRI.html |date=August 14, 2018 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'' (July 28, 2008). Retrieved August 16, 2008.</ref>

In 1993 and 1994, McCain voted to confirm President Clinton's nominees the to [[U.S. Supreme Court]], [[Ruth Bader Ginsburg]] and [[Stephen Breyer]], whom he considered qualified. He later explained that "under our Constitution, it is the president's call to make."<ref>Eilperin, Juliet. [http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/05/06/_winstonsalem_ncforeshadowing.html "McCain Sees Roberts, Alito as Examples"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511174630/http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/05/06/_winstonsalem_ncforeshadowing.html |date=May 11, 2008}}, The Trail; A Daily Diary of Campaign 2008, via [[washingtonpost.com]] (May 6, 2008). Retrieved July 26, 2008.</ref> McCain had also voted to confirm nominees of presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.&nbsp;W. Bush, including [[Robert Bork]] and [[Clarence Thomas]].<ref name="Curry">Curry, Tom. [https://www.nbcnews.com/id/18337220 "McCain takes grim message to South Carolina"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210002332/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/18337220/ |date=February 10, 2018 }}, [[NBC News]] (April 26, 2007). Retrieved December 27, 2007.</ref>

==== Campaign finance reform ====
McCain attacked what he saw as the corrupting influence of large political contributions—from corporations, labor unions, other organizations, and wealthy individuals—and he made this his signature issue.<ref name="az-maverick">Nowicki, Dan and Muller, Bill. [https://www.azcentral.com/news/specials/mccain/articles/0301mccainbio-chapter9.html "John McCain Report: McCain becomes the 'maverick'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160123080838/http://www.azcentral.com/news/specials/mccain/articles/0301mccainbio-chapter9.html |date=January 23, 2016 }}, ''[[The Arizona Republic]]'' (March 1, 2007). Retrieved December 19, 2007.</ref> Starting in 1994, he worked with Democratic Wisconsin Senator [[Russ Feingold]] on [[Campaign finance reform in the United States|campaign finance reform]]; their McCain–Feingold bill attempted to put limits on "[[soft money]]".<ref name="az-maverick" /> The efforts of McCain and Feingold were opposed by some of the moneyed interests targeted, by incumbents in both parties, by those who felt spending limits impinged on free political speech and might be unconstitutional as well, and by those who wanted to counterbalance the power of what they saw as [[media bias]].<ref name="az-maverick" /><ref>Timberg, ''American Odyssey'', p. 190</ref> Despite sympathetic coverage in the media, initial versions of the [[McCain–Feingold Act]] were [[Filibuster in the United States Senate|filibustered]] and never came to a vote.<ref name="m-b">Maisel, Louis and Buckley, Kara. ''Parties and Elections in America: The Electoral Process'', pp. 163–66 (Rowman & Littlefield 2004). {{ISBN|0-7425-2670-4}}</ref>

The term "[[wikt:maverick|maverick]] Republican" became a label frequently applied to McCain, and he also used it himself.<ref name="az-maverick" /><ref name=barone>[[Michael Barone (pundit)|Barone, Michael]]; [[Richard E. Cohen|Cohen, Richard E.]] ''[[The Almanac of American Politics]], 2006'', pp. 93–98 (National Journal 2005). {{ISBN|0-89234-112-2}}.</ref><ref>McCain, ''Worth the Fighting For'', p. 327</ref> In 1993, McCain opposed [[Operation Gothic Serpent|military operations in Somalia]].<ref name="Jackson">Jackson, David. [https://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-03-25-mccainforce_N.htm "McCain: Life shaped judgment on use of force"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315155706/http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-03-25-mccainforce_N.htm |date=March 15, 2012 }}, ''[[USA Today]]'' (March 25, 2008).</ref> Another target of his was [[pork barrel]] spending by Congress, and he actively supported the [[Line Item Veto Act of 1996]], which gave the president power to veto individual spending items<ref name="az-maverick" /> but was ruled unconstitutional by the [[Supreme Court (United States)|Supreme Court]] in 1998.<ref>''[[Clinton v. City of New York]]'', 524 U.S. 417 (1998)</ref>

In the [[1996 United States presidential election|1996 presidential election]], McCain was again on the short list of possible vice-presidential picks, this time for Republican nominee [[Bob Dole]].<ref name="az-rebound" /><ref name="alex-176">Alexander, ''Man of the People'', pp. 176–80</ref> While Dole instead selected [[Jack Kemp]],  he chose McCain to deliver the nominating speech for him in the presidential roll call vote at the [[1996 Republican National Convention]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Casteel |first1=Chris |title=Dole, Kemp Get Reins From GOP |url=https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/1996/08/15/dole-kemp-get-reins-from-gop/62346647007/ |website=The Oklahoman |access-date=April 30, 2023 |date=August 15, 1996 |archive-date=April 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230430025022/https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/1996/08/15/dole-kemp-get-reins-from-gop/62346647007/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The following year, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine named McCain as one of the "25 Most Influential People in America".<ref name="fox-time25">[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,76392,00.html "Bio: Sen. John McCain"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080413203916/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C76392%2C00.html |date=April 13, 2008}}, [[Fox News]] (January 23, 2003). Retrieved August 11, 2008.</ref>

In 1997, McCain became chairman of the powerful Senate Commerce Committee; he was criticized for accepting funds from corporations and businesses under the committee's purview, but in response said the small contributions he received were not part of the big-money nature of the campaign finance problem.<ref name="az-maverick" /> McCain took on the [[tobacco industry]] in 1998, proposing legislation that would increase cigarette taxes to fund anti-smoking campaigns, discourage teenage smokers, increase money for health research studies, and help states pay for smoking-related health care costs.<ref name="az-maverick" /><ref name="alex-184">Alexander, ''Man of the People'', pp. 184–87</ref> Supported by the [[Clinton administration]] but opposed by the industry and most Republicans, the bill failed to gain [[cloture]].<ref name="alex-184" />