| Listen to Chuck Wooten’s interview: |
News of Rep. Martha McSally’s expected entrance into the U.S. Senate race has surprised few politicos in southern Arizona. In fact, McSally’s entry was anticipated long before she ever took her seat in the House of Representatives.
On Tuesday, retired Air Force Command Chief Master Sergeant Chuck Wooten revealed McSally’s meticulous plans to rise to power through Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District (CD2). In an interview on the James T. Harris show, Wooten, a favorite of the grassroots in the 2014 CD2 Republican Primary, said that McSally only intended to serve in the House until the spot opened up for her in the Senate. Wooten said, “I do believe that the plan all along was for her to do two terms and eventually – what I heard at the time -was that she would then take Senator McCain’s seat. Because as you know they are very connected, and I believe that’s why she was victorious in that race and I was not; because she had the full weight of that office behind her. I was told that was the plan. Her seat in Congress was to groom her for the anointing of her first Senate term in McCain’s seat.”
Wooten recalled that former House Speaker Boehner and Eric Cantor came to southern Arizona to raise McSally money. “She is the definition of the GOP establishment.”
Harris said that he recalled hearing that McSally was groomed because no one expected McCain to get sick. “So what they would have done was appoint her – they would find some reason for McCain to resign – and they would appoint her to that seat so she could run it’s an incumbent. Now they have a twofer.” Harris said that the establishment can run McSally for Flake’s seat and appoint another establishment candidate to McCain’s seat, which is expected to be vacated before the end of his term.
“What I saw in my campaign was a full-court press from the GOP, starting from the kneecapping from you-know-who that guy is,” said Wooten referring to Arizona RNC chair Bruce Ash, who called for Harris to be kneecapped due to his support for Wooten, “to Robert Graham. Not to mention dragging me into court and filing a frivolous lawsuit just to drain me of money. I say that because I know that Ward faces the same thing. So my message to Ward’s supporters is to support her, support her early, and support her often.”
“You’re going to have to,” explained Wooten, “because I know from first-hand experience what it costs personally and professionally to go up against the GOP establishment. They ain’t playing.”
“I think Kelli is a formidable opponent. I fully endorse Ward, but I’m not a spokesman for her campaign; I just want to make that clear,” said Wooten.
“To say she is a careerist is absolutely true,” said Wooten of McSally. “She does exactly what she needs to do to get what she wants.”
“She has the Jeff Flake syndrome. She sees the writing on the wall. She knows she can’t get re-elected in CD2,” said Wooten explaining why McSally has no choice but to run for the Senate.