John McCain Visits Salt Lake City

Mar 28, 2008 by Jeff Robinson

(KCPW News) Accompanied by once bitter rival Governor Mitt Romney and Utah ally Governor Jon Huntsman, presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain briefly spoke with reporters in a hangar at Million Air airport before jetting off to Colorado yesterday afternoon. After joking about his humiliation over losing to Romney in Utah by 85 percent of the vote on Super Tuesday, McCain said his rival's support is an integral part of his campaign.

"I think, first of all, if you look at the polling data, we have more Republicans supporting me than Democrats support either Senator Clinton or Senator Obama," said the candidate. "We are united as a party. Where Governor Romney can play such a key role is that we really have to energize our party."

McCain didn't confirm speculation over whether Romney or Huntsman will be his running mate, only saying they will both continue to play a key role in the Republican party.

The senator briefly addressed the troubled economy, saying that struggling Americans, not corporations, should receive a hand from the government.

"There are people who are sitting around the kitchen table, families today, that are saying, are we gonna have to take an extra job? Are we gonna have to dig into our savings? Are we gonna have to take extraordinary measures in order to remain in our home? And I want to emphasize that those are the people that should be the object of our attention and our care," the senator from Arizona said. "Not the lender who lent money under circumstances which were very onerous, or to people that did not really qualify."

The candidate was in town for a fundraising event at the Grand America hotel. Today, his campaign released his first advertisement for the general election.

Email to a friendPosted in KCPW Newsroom and Election 2008. Copyright 2008 KCPW