The possible primary race for John McCain's U.S. Senate seat is getting more colorful.
Former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, contending that former U.S. Rep. J.D. Hayworth is violating campaign laws by promoting his possible bid on his radio talk show.
"There's no problem with someone in his position talking about the issues of the day and the issues that are important to the country, but essentially, you've got a situation where Hayworth is spending hour after hour, day after day, promoting his possible candidacy for the U.S. Senate while a corporation is paying for the airtime," Woods said.
Hayworth has a daily talk show on Phoenix radio station KFYI, which also features shows by conservative hosts Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage.
People are also reading…
Woods said Hayworth should either run and get off the airwaves, or change the subject.
Julia Queen, a spokeswoman for the FEC, said she could only verify that her office had received the complaint. She said she was not at liberty to say anything more about the case.
Hayworth could not be reached for comment, but he posted on Twitter, "Paging Mr. Grant Woods. You left your brain in the lobby! Woods tries to gag a non-declared, non-candidate citizen - me! 1st Amendment? Bah!" On his show, he dismissed Woods as an "ambulance chaser."
Woods was no less conciliatory. "I have no love lost for J.D. Hayworth," he said, adding, "I opposed him in his primaries and generals because I don't think too much of the guy. He was terrible as a congressman and would be more terrible as a senator."
Woods said he told McCain, his longtime political ally, about the impending complaint, and the senator had no problem with it.
Meanwhile, the two camps have been promoting dueling polls. A Rasmussen Reports poll from last month did a telephone survey of likely GOP primary voters and found McCain with 45 percent of the potential vote to Hayworth's 43 percent.
But then earlier this month, McCain supporters circulated a poll showing the incumbent with a 20-point lead. That poll angered Hayworth supporters - with Hayworth himself tweeting that McCain was doing "push polling" - because it also took those voters' temperatures after disclosing some unsavory details about Hayworth's tenure, including his dealings with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The spread then was 62 percent to 29 percent, favoring McCain.
Contact reporter Rhonda Bodfield at 573-4243 or rbodfield@azstarnet.com
