John McCain, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Marco Rubio look for primary victories
In an election cycle so far marked by insurgent, outsider success, blue chip politicians Sen. Marco Rubio, Sen. John McCain, and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz look to quell rebellions against them Tuesday.
Arizona and Florida are holding primaries, and the two Republican senators and former Democratic National Committee chairwoman are looking to turn their attention to the general election. All three are favored to win, but anti-incumbent sentiment, among other concerns, have all three politicians on guard.
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McCain, who turned 80 yesterday, has been explicitly criticized as too old by his opponent, Kelli Ward, a medical doctor.
"John McCain has fallen down on the job. He's gotten weak. He's gotten old," Ward said on MSNBC Thursday. "I want to give him the best birthday present ever: the gift of retirement."
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Rubio, the former presidential candidate, has been criticized for reneging on his promise not to run again for senate, if he lost the Republican nomination for president.
Businessman Carlos Beruff, who some say has fashioned himself in the model of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, has harshly criticized Rubio.
"Washington's candidate Marco Rubio continues to lie about me and about his record, hiding behind his Washington allies of course," Beruff said in a July press release. "It's no surprise considering integrity is clearly not an important quality to Senator Rubio, who lied to the people of Florida about amnesty, lied about his support for Donald Trump and lied about his promise to not run for reelection."
Rubio would face off against the winner of the Democratic primary – either Rep. Patrick Murphy, favored by establishment forces, or the fiery, controversial populist Rep. Alan Grayson.
Wasserman Schultz, still reeling from having to step down from running the DNC, is facing a challenge from law school professor Tim Canova, who is endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders. Some have criticized Sanders in recent days for failing to do more on Canova's behalf, however.
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Wasserman Schultz, on the other hand, is backed by a formidable political trifecta: President Barack Obama, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, and Vice President Joe Biden.
