GOP Arizona Sen. John McCain managed to retain his seat in the upper chamber after edging out his Democratic opponent Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick Tuesday.
With 23 percent of precepts reporting, the Associated Press called the race with McCain taking in 53 percent of the vote to Kirkpatrick’s 42 percent as of 10:55 p.m. ET.
This election was the 2008 Republican presidential candidate’s toughest yet, with many fearing the contentious relationship between the senator and GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump would negatively impact his race.
Trump was hesitant to endorse McCain and criticized his military service, saying he wasn’t a war hero due to being captured. McCain endorsed the billionaire, but later retracted his support following the release of a 2005 video of the candidate making lewd comments about women.
Kirkpatrick heavily went after McCain for retracting his endorsement when “politically convenient,” while McCain attacked his opponent over her support of Obamacare.
The 80-year-old senator campaigned heavily in his battle to win a fifth term in the Senate, with 2012 presidential nominee former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney coming out to stump for him in the final days of the race.
McCain, who serves as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, was leading Kirkpatrick by an average of 10 points ahead of the election, according to Real Clear Politics.
Follow Juliegrace Brufke on Twitter
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.