The senator is known for being an unconventional Republican who has repeatedly opposed his party on a variety of issues, from financial reform to immigration.
“It’s a title given to me a long time ago,” McCain said in 2010 of what is often described by the media as unconventional. “I can’t decide what titles they give me. I can only say that I always act according to what I consider to be in the interest of the country. And that is how I will always behave.”
He ran for president of the United States in 2000, attracting voters with his moderate, slightly right-wing vision and outspoken style. However, he lost the Republican primary to George W. Bush.
After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, McCain strongly supported U.S. military action abroad, including in Afghanistan and Iraq. When critics claimed his “hawkish” views could cost him voters during the 2008 campaign, McCain replied: “I would rather lose the campaign than the war.”
Later, McCain admitted in his memoirs that claims about Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction were false.
In 2008, McCain won the Republican primary but faced backlash for selecting inexperienced Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. Ultimately, he lost to Democratic candidate Barack Obama. Reflecting on his two failed bids, McCain joked: “Sleep for two hours, wake up and cry, sleep for two hours, wake up and cry.”