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The Note: Florida and Arizona primaries show lure of Trumpism - ABC News

posted onSeptember 1, 2018
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Article snippet: The TAKE with Rick Klein The moment belongs to Sen. John McCain. But the Republican Party still belongs to President Donald Trump. Tuesday's primaries, highlighted by voting in Arizona and Florida, figure to demonstrate the powerful lure of Trumpism, alongside the political hibernation of McCainism. In Florida, Trump plucked an obscure congressman and made him frontrunner in the GOP primary for governor. The outgoing governor endorsed Trump's presidential campaign relatively early, and now is a leading hope for Republican takeover of a Senate seat. In McCain's home state of Arizona, all three Republicans have cast themselves as Trump warriors – with little of the independent streaks displayed by McCain or the man whose Senate seat is on the ballot, Republican Sen. Jeff Flake. Trump has made at least part of this moment about himself and his differences with McCain. His arm-crossed silence on Monday when asked about McCain, and a reluctant lowering of White House flags in his honor, marked a distraction from a period of remembrance. With his passing, McCain sought to make the nation feel optimistic about politics, while delivering a warning that was clear in its target: "We weaken our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with tribal rivalries that have sown resentment and hatred and violence in all the corners of the globe. We weaken it when we hide behind walls, rather than tear them down," McCain wrote in his farewell message. The RUNDOWN with ... Link to the full article to read more

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