McCain's campaign for president

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McCain's campaign for president

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., argued he was the proven leader. Here's how his campaign progressed through the primary elections, nomination, debates and on the campaign trail.

Presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks at a campaign rally in Pottsville, Pa., in late October. McCain, 72, graduated from the Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1958 where he was fifth from the bottom of his class. He was a pilot in Vietnam when he was shot down in 1967 and first elected to political office in 1982. Follow McCain as the Republican campaigns to become the country's 44th president.

In May 2007, presidential hopefuls McCain and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani participate in the Republican debate at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.

In October 2007, McCain, accompanied by former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney, addresses media and supporters in Cleveland, Ohio, one of the key battleground states for the 2008 race.

McCain is silhouetted by the American flag as he brings his "Straight Talk Express" to Pensacola, Fla., in January 2008. During the campaign, McCain reminded voters of his patriotism including his five and a half years as a POW.

President Bush and McCain walk down the West Wing Colonnade of the White House in March when Bush endorsed McCain as the Republican nominee-in-waiting. McCain, describing himself as a maverick, often voted against issues supported by the president.

McCain pumps his fist with excitement at his election night command post in Phoenix after the announcement of his strong majority showing in the California Presidential Primary in February. The Super Tuesday win elevated the Republican presidential hopeful to front-runner status and rejuvenated the McCain campaign.

In February, McCain speaks at the Virginia Aviation Museum in Richmond in front of an A-4 Skyhawk fighter jet like the one he was flying when he was shot down over Vietnam.

In July, McCain and the Dalai Lama greet each other in Aspen, Colo. Though jovial here, McCain has a reputation for having a quick temper.

In September, John McCain is joined by his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, after his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn.

McCain greets supporters at a rally at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls in late October. The Des Moines Register showed a double-digit lead for McCain's opponent going into Tuesday's election.

McCain greets Levi Johnston (left), boyfriend of Bristol Palin (center), the pregnant daughter of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, as McCain arrives in Minneapolis for the Republican National Convention in September. The pregnancy announcement was a bombshell for the campaign and the world watched closely at how McCain reacted.

McCain and David Letterman are all smiles on the set of "The Late Show with David Letterman" in mid-October. Earlier, Letterman took issue with McCain when the candidate canceled a television appearance on the show at the last minute.

McCain greets a throng of supporters at a campaign rally in Defiance, Ohio, in late October as the campaign picks up steam.

McCain and running mate Palin react to the crowd at a rally in Hershey, Pa., in late October. Palin's folksy responses and mentions of "Joe six-pack" helped shape her popularity with supporters. However, an investigation into whether she abused her power as governor during a domestic squabble in Alaska has dogged the campaign.

Behind the scene McCain waits for a satellite uplink with a television station to begin as advisor Steve Duprey reads email on his PDA in Bensalem, Pa., in October. On this day, McCain would have six radio interviews, five satellite television interviews, five local one-on-one television interviews and three campaign rallies.

McCain looks on as his wife Cindy introduces him to supporters during a campaign rally in Bensalem, Pa., in October. The McCains' wealth includes an Anheuser-Busch beer distributorship in Arizona, founded by Cindy's father.

McCain answers a question during the Town Hall Presidential Debate in Nashville, Tenn., the second of three presidential debates. When McCain referred to his opponent as "that one" it touched a nerve and resulted in a storm of criticism.

As multimedia plays a more integral role in the election, McCain is shown on multiple television screens during the final presidential debate with Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.

In mid October 2008 "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher talks to a reporter as he walks to a neighbor's home in Holland, Ohio. During the final debate, McCain referenced "Joe the Plumber" several times and elevated the man to instant cult hero status. A YouTube video of "Joe the Plumber" confronting Democratic opponent Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., over his tax plan was widely circulated.

Backed by a large American flag, McCain acknowledges the cheers of his supporters in Belton, Mo. as the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona eyes the White House. "My country has never had to prove anything to me. I have always had faith in it," McCain said during an Ohio rally in October 2008. "If I'm elected President, I will fight to shake up Washington and take America in a new direction from my first day in office until my last. I'm not afraid of the fight, I'm ready for it."

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Presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks at a campaign rally in Pottsville, Pa., in late October. McCain, 72, graduated from the Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1958 where he was fifth from the bottom of his class. He was a pilot in Vietnam when he was shot down in 1967 and first elected to political office in 1982. Follow McCain as the Republican campaigns to become the country's 44th president.

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