John,
When Kris was a young reporter covering John McCain's 2000 presidential campaign, she wasn't even allowed on his "Straight Talk Express" bus. She followed along in a rental car while reporters from across the globe rode with him.
But she didn't need a seat on the bus to learn from him.
McCain was willing to be a maverick. He took tough questions. He told the truth even when it cost him politically. He worked across the aisle because he knew it was the right thing to do.
But look at what his party has become.
Last week, Jeff Flake said that Trump is "completely out of touch" with Americans and that "a migration has begun within the Republican Party" away from Trump.
Just a few days later, Meghan McCain responded to attacks on her father's legacy: "Keep sh*tting on my dead dad and continue to see how this turns out for you guys in Arizona."
John McCain has been gone for seven years. When he died, Arizona had two Republican senators and a Republican governor. Today's Republican losses have nothing to do with him.
As Meghan McCain put it: It's time to "stop exhuming his ghost instead of taking responsibility for your own failures."
Today's Republican Party attacks McCain's legacy while defending Trump's authoritarianism. That's not courage. That's cowardice.
Kris is running for re-election as a Democrat who still believes in McCain's values: truth-telling, bipartisanship, and doing what's right instead of what's politically easy.
So today, instead of asking for money, Kris has a different request: If you have friends or loved ones in the Republican Party, reach out to them. Show them that, despite the moment we’re living in, you still care and are willing to engage across the aisle — just like John McCain always did. (Heck, if nothing else, it might be good practice for the Thanksgiving table.)
John McCain taught Kris what it means to be a maverick. It's up to us to keep that spirit alive.
With gratitude,
Team Mayes
| 
