Vice President Kamala Harris has once again found herself in hot water, this time for invoking the name of late Republican Senator John McCain during a campaign rally in Arizona. Harris claimed that during her time in the Senate, McCain praised her with the words, “You’re going to make a great senator.” However, this claim was swiftly rebuked by the late senator’s daughter, Meghan McCain, who called the vice president’s remarks opportunistic and inaccurate.
In a scathing critique on her political podcast, McCain said she was “not thrilled” about Harris using her father’s memory to bolster her political image. “Everybody does it on both sides. I’m really — I’m not thrilled with this, because I just find that — maybe it did happen. To me, it does not sound like him,” McCain said while questioning the authenticity of Harris’ story. Meghan, who was very close to her father personally and professionally, suggested the anecdote was out of character for the late senator.
McCain further stated that Democrats have been trying to reshape her father’s legacy into something it was not. “Democrats want to turn my dad into a progressive liberal that, six years after his death, he’s now just the most liberal progressive that ever existed when he’s one of the most conservative senators in American modern history,” she argued.
Meghan McCain’s critique highlights her frustration with how politicians on the left frequently reference her father to gain political leverage, especially as Harris struggles to gain support among independents and Republicans in Arizona.
McCain, who co-hosts a popular political show, explained the political motivation behind Harris’ comments, noting the unique influence her father’s legacy still holds in Arizona. “There’s polling and research that shows around 14% of Republicans in Arizona consider themselves McCain Republicans,” she said. “I’m sure that’s what [Harris] is going for, and those are people who are not Trumpers.” This strategy, however, seems to have backfired with Meghan, who views the invocation of her father’s name as “disrespectful.”
In a candid moment, Meghan McCain hinted at private conversations her father had about Harris, recalling that they were far from flattering. “I remember what he actually said about Vice President Harris in private,” she shared, before adding that it would be “uncouth” to reveal the specifics. However, she made it clear that the sentiment Harris attributed to her father wasn’t consistent with what she knew.
Meghan continued airing her displeasure with Harris’ storytelling, pointing out that her father was a lifelong conservative who wouldn’t have aligned with many of Harris’ policies. “There’s one dinner that I was at with him and some other politicians. I can remember very specifically something he said about her,” McCain added, hinting that her father’s private views of Harris were far from complimentary. She refused to engage further but left listeners with the impression that Harris was fabricating or distorting the narrative.
The timing of Harris’ comments also drew suspicion. With the 2024 election just weeks away and early voting underway in Arizona, Meghan questioned why Harris hadn’t shared the story sooner. “She never felt the need to share it before, except 24 days before the election in Arizona,” McCain remarked sarcastically.
She believes Harris’ campaign is desperate, noting that “from everything I’ve heard from you and many other places, she’s flatlining with independents.”
On her social media platform, McCain didn’t hold back, posting on X, “Please don’t make me start sharing what I remember him saying about Kamala Harris.
Consider this my final warning shot, I will start spilling tea.” Her sharp response reflects a broader frustration many conservatives feel with how McCain’s legacy has been used by politicians, especially those with whom he disagreed fundamentally.
As Meghan McCain points out, her father’s conservative values wouldn’t have aligned with many of Harris’ positions, particularly on key issues like the border crisis, the economy, and the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal. “Her stance on Israel alone would gross him out,” Meghan stated.
The clash over John McCain’s memory comes as polls show a tight race in Arizona, with former President Donald Trump currently leading Harris by a slim margin. According to RealClearPolitics, Trump holds a narrow 0.5-point lead, with 48.1% of support to Harris’ 47.6%. Harris’s attempt to appeal to “McCain Republicans” seems to have hit a snag, especially with Meghan McCain threatening to “spill the tea” about her father’s true thoughts.
Meghan McCain’s sharp rebuke underscores the deep divide between her father’s legacy and the policies Harris represents. “Maybe it did happen,” McCain conceded begrudgingly during her podcast, “but I just didn’t work with him all the time, and I’ve never heard it before.” For McCain, Harris’ story is a sign of political desperation.
McCain closed her critique by acknowledging that politicians on both sides of the aisle often invoke figures like her father to serve their agendas. “I am sick of it,” she said. “But I also understand that politicians are going to politicians, and they’ve got to invoke whatever they can.”
In the lead-up to Election Day, Harris may continue to face backlash for her attempts to appeal to Arizona voters using John McCain’s legacy. For Meghan McCain, however, the late senator’s legacy is sacred—and she won’t hesitate to defend it against those she sees as distorting the truth for political gain.
