Sen. John McCain will discontinue medical treatment for his brain cancer, his family said in a statement.
"The progress of disease and the inexorable advance of age render their verdict. With his usual strength of will, he has now chosen to discontinue medical treatment," the family said on social media.
McCain has been battling his brain cancer in Arizona since his diagnosis last summer.
McCain's family released the following statement:
βLast summer, Senator John McCain shared with Americans the news our family already knew: he had been diagnosed with an aggressive glioblastoma, and the prognosis was serious. In the year since, John has surpassed expectations for his survival. But the progress of disease and the inexorable advance of age render their verdict. With his usual strength of will, he has now chosen to discontinue medical treatment.β
βOur family is immensely grateful for the support and kindness of all his caregivers over the last year, and for the continuing outpouring of concern and affection from Johnβs many friends and associates, and the many thousands of people who are keeping him in their prayers. God bless and thank you all."
McCain is a decorated military veteran who spent more than five years in prison camps.
He went from the House of Representatives to the Senate in 1986, following the retirement of Barry Goldwater.
The McCain family has a retreat south of Sedona, where he has stayed during the past several months of treatment for brain cancer. He was diagnosed in July 2017.
My family is deeply appreciative of all the love and generosity you have shown us during this past year. Thank you for all your continued support and prayers. We could not have made it this far without you - you've given us strength to carry on. pic.twitter.com/KuAQSASoa7
β Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) August 24, 2018
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey called McCain an "American hero" Friday morning, saying the senator always puts "country before self."
"From Vietnam to the halls of the U.S. Senate, the spirit of service and civility that has guided Senator McCain's life stands as a model for all Americans, regardless of political affiliation," Ducey said in a statement. "Angela and I had the great privilege of visiting with Senator McCain and Cindy in May. Then and now, our prayers and our hearts are with them and their entire family."
More: Arizona, the nation pays tribute and offers prayers to Sen. John McCain
Congresswoman Martha McSally said she too is praying for McCain and his family.Β Β
"John McCain's life has been one of service and sacrifice. His strength and resolve enabled him to endure 5Β½ years as a prisoner of war, and to continue to serve his country for decades," McSally said in a statement. "I have been praying for Senator McCain and his family during this difficult time, and continue to ask for God's grace and comfort for him and his family.β
Sen. Jeff Flake also added a similar sentiment, saying "God bless and keep this wonderful man and his family."Β
This 1936 black-and-white file photo, provided by the McCain Presidential Campaign, shows Republican presidential hopeful, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in the arms of his grandfather, John Sidney McCain, right, in the Panama Canal Zone. His father John Sidney McCain Jr. is at left.
- McCain Presidential Campaign
Vice Admiral John S. McCain, USN (center) with his son, Commander John S. McCain, Jr., on board a U.S. Navy ship (probably USS Proteus, AS-19) in Tokyo Bay, circa 2 September 1945. Admiral McCain died a few days after this photo was taken. Note Japanese submarine in background, just to left of Admiral McCain.
- Collection of Admiral John S. McCain Jr. / U.S. Naval Historical Center
McCain Field, the U.S. Navy training base, was commissioned and named in honor of Admiral John S. McCain July 14, 1961. Standing before his plaque from left, grandson, Lt. John S. McCain III and his parents, Rear Admiral John S. McCain Jr. and Roberta Wright McCain.
- McCain family
John McCain, left, stands in military dress uniform next to his father, John S. McCain, Jr., in this undated photo. Born the son and grandson of Navy Admirals, McCain was destined for a military career. He spent 20 years in the Navy, a quarter of it in a Vietnamese prisoner of war camp.
- McCain family
This photo provided by the Library of Congress shows John McCain, front right, with his squadron in 1965. McCain, a former Navy fighter pilot, was captured by the Vietnamese, tortured and imprisoned for more than five years. He was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, Distinguished Flying Cross Medal, Prisoner of War (POW) Medal. The Republican senator from Arizona is making his second presidential run, and knows what it's like to have fought before and lost.
- Library of Congress
Photo released Thursday February 24 2000, by the Vietnamese News Agency which is claimed to show the rescue 33 years ago of U.S. presidential candidate John McCain, center, from Hanoi's Truc Bach lake. McCain's navy fighter was shot down over the capital on October 26,1967.
- Vietnam News Agency
John McCain is administered to in a Hanoi, Vietnam hospital as a prisoner of war in the fall of 1967. McCain spent 20 years in the Navy, a quarter of it in a Vietnamese prisoner of war camp. On Oct. 26, 1967, McCain's jet was shot down over Hanoi during a bombing mission.
- Associated Press
This is an undated file photo of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., lying injured as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam was among 4,000 photos and documents given to a U.S. delegation by Hanoi. McCain was a U.S. pilot downed in Vietnam November 1966. Now McCain is extolling Bob Dole's virtues as a presidential candidate and popping up with increasing frequency on lists of potential running mates for the presumptive GOP nominee.
- Associated Press
Lt. Commander John S. McCain III, a POW for over five years, waves to well wishers March 18, 1973 after arriving at Jacksonville Naval Air Station in Florida. At left is his wife, and son Doug, who is on crutches after breaking his leg in a soccer game. McCain is the son of Adm. John S. McCain Jr, who commanded the U.S. Forces in the Pacific until his retirement. (AP Photo)
- Associated Press
U.S. Navy Commander John S. McCain 3rd, a guest of the South Vietnamese government, visits the Holt orphanage in Saigon, Vietnam, on Oct. 30, 1974. The institution cares for many youngsters fathered by American G.I.s. McCain, son of the admiral who commanded U.S. forces in the Pacific at the height of the Vietnam War, was shot down over Hanoi and spent several years as a POW.
- Dang Van Phuoc / Associated Press
This monument in Hanoi marks the location where a U.S. Navy flyer, Lieutenant Commander John McCain III, parachuted and was captured after being show down in 1967, shown Jan. 31, 1985. McCain was released by the Vietnamese several years later, but hundreds of U.S. servicemen are still listed as missing.
- Jim Bourdier
Former California Governor Ronald Reagan, center, actor Michael Landon, second from right, and the governor's wife Nancy, third from left, greet former POWs during a reunion party in Los Angeles May 28 1978. Party featured engtertainers from film and television. At left, U.S. Navy Capt., Howard Ruttledge and his wife, Phyllis' at right is U.S. Navy Commander John McCain. (AP Photo/Brich)
- Associated Press
Sen. John S. McCain III (R-Ariz.), at podium, joined a group of GOP congressmen, left to right, Jim Kolbe, Jay Rhodes and Jon Kyl, in asking Gov. Evan Mecham to resign his office, Jan. 16, 1988, at the state capital in Phoenix. The GOP group said the legal and political turmoil surrounding Mecham has virtually paralyzed the state
- Rob Schumacher / Associated Press
Senator John McCain, center, (R-AZ) speaking with a soldier from the Panamanian Defense Forces Sunday, May 7, 1989 in Panama City after he voted. McCain is a member of the official observer delegation sent from Washington for the country's presidential election. The Opposition has continued to accuse the government of electoral fraud. With them is an unidentified U.S. Embassy official.
- Matias Recart / Associated Press
Gwendolyn van Paasschen, second from right, an economics aide to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., sits with her attorney Plato Cacheris, right, during hearings before the Senate Ethics Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. on Nov. 20, 1990. Also attending the hearings, from bottom to top, are John McCain, his attorney John Dowd, Thomas Green, atorney for Sen. Donald Riegle, D-Mich, and Donald Riegle.
- JOHN DURICKA / Associated Press
Sens. John Glenn D-Ohio, left, Dennis DeConccini, D-Ariz., and John McCain, R-Ariz., right, arrive at the Senate Ethics committee hearing room Nov.15, 1990 on Capitol Hill. Five senators are to face charges that they took part in alleged influence peddling to help former savings and loan owner Charles H. Keating, Jr.
- JOHN DURICKA / Associated Press
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz, is hugged by former North Vietnam Col.Bui Tin on Capital Hill Thursday, Nov. 7,1991 after a hearing of the Senate Select Committee on POW and MIA affairs. Tin oversaw a military prison operation called the "Hanoi Hilton" where McCain was held prisoner during the Vietnam War.
- Dennis Cook / Associated Press
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), chairman of the Senate Select Committee on POW-MIA Affairs, left, gives Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a member of the committee, his pilot's helmet on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 2, 1992. Kerry gave the helmet to McCain after retrieving it from the Vietnamese on a recent trip to Hanoi to investigate the POW/MIA issue. McCain was held prisoner in Vietnam during the war.
- U.S. Senate
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. grabs his neck while joking about a red light on the podium during a microphone test at the Republican National Convention Thursday, August 20, 1992 in Houston. President George Bush accepts his nomination for four more years in Thursday night's convention finale, the starting gate for a 75- days sprint to November against Democrat Bill Clinton amid a national yearning for change.
- Jim Mone / Associated Press
President Clinton meets with Sen. John McCain, (R-Ariz.) on Tuesday, July 11, 1995 in the State Dining Room of the White House after the president announced the formalization of relations with Vietnam. McCain, a former POW in Vietnam, led the effort to the opening of relations with Vietnam.
- Marcy Nighswander / Associated Press
U.S. Senator John McCain, center, on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 1996 embraces Mai Van On, the man who saved him in 1967 after his bomber was shot down over Hanoi during the Vietnam War. On pulled McCain's broken body from Hanoi's Truc Bach lake despite a jeering crowd that would sooner have let the American aviator die. Others are not identified.
- HONG SAM / Associated Press
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., right front, walks with Sen. Max Cleland, D-Ga., center, and Sen. Robert Kerry, D-Neb., during a ceremony celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington Friday, March 7, 1997. In background, from left, are: Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., and Sen. Chuck Robb, R-Va. The six senators all served in the Vietnam War.
- KEN CEDENO / Associated Press
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., followed by Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D. arrive for an anti-tobacco rally on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, May 20, 1998. Halfway to what was supposed to be its fateful final vote this week, the Senate's massive tobacco bill is stalled by lawmakers' bickering.
- DENNIS COOK / Associated Press
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., checks the podium for the Republican National Convention Saturday in the San Diego Convention Center as staff member Deb Gullett, and his wife, not shown except for hand, have a laugh at his expense. The convention starts Monday.
- RON EDMONDS / Associated Press
Arizona senator John McCain laughs on March 19, 1999, as he does a phone interview for a morning radio show on the topic of boxing. McCain was interviewed in his Phoenix office, where he has an exploratory committee to run for President of the United States.
- David Sanders / Arizona Daily Star
Star News----Republican presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., laughs while speaking with some of his supporters after a breakfast meeting with the Contra Costa County Republican party in San Ramon, Calif., Friday, Aug. 20, 1999. Seen on the left is McCain's wife Cindy.
- George Nikitin / Associated Press
Republican presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., plays a few notes at the 26th Annual Old Time Fiddlers' Contest in Stark, N.H., on Sunday, June 27, 1999. McCain spent the day campaigning in northern New Hampshire in preparation for the nation's earliest primary.
- JON-PIERRE LASSEIGNE / Associated Press
Cindy McCain, left, looks across at her husband, Sen. John McCain, of Ariz., as he announces at a press conference Thursday, March 9, 2000, in Sedona, Ariz. that he is suspending his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.
- ELAINE THOMPSON / Associated Press
Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, Ariz., shakes the hands of voters as he enters a town hall style meeting on the Gonzaga University campus in Spokane, Wash., Wednesday morning Feb. 23, 2000. McCain, who won the Michigan and Arizona Republican presidential primaries Tuesday, is campaigning in Washington Wednesday for that state's Feb. 29, 2000 primary.
- Stephan Savoia / Associated Press
Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, of Ariz., leans over to examine the now-bunionless feet of actress Neve Campbell as they both make guest appearances on "The Tonight Show" Wednesday, March 1, 2000, at NBC studios in Burbank, Calif.
- REED SAXON / Associated Press
Repubican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, Ariz., laughs as he appears on "Imus in the Morning" from Concord, N.H., Tuesday morning Feb. 1, 2000. Voters in New Hampshire go to the polls Tuesday in New Hampshire's presidential primary.
- Stephan Savoia / Associated Press
Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, of Ariz., listens as Rep. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., explains the possible effects of as many as 25 polling places, located predominantly in black communties, having been unexpectedly consolidated in Greenville County, Souch Carolina, as McCain's wife Cindy, sits next to them, in their Greenville, S.C., hotel room after returning from a campaign event Saturday morning Feb. 19, 2000.
- Stephan Savoia / Associated Press
Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, of Ariz, during a town hall meeting, Holland, Mich., Jan. 10, 2000, leans on a podium with a campaign poster showing him when he was a naval aviator during the Vietnam war, where he was shot down and captured in 1967. McCain's more than five years in prison, the decisions he made there and the lessons he learned from fellow American prisoners shaped the man who went on to serve 18 years in Congress and run for president.
- Stephan Savoia / Associated Press
Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, of Arizona, gestures following a speech Sunday, March 5, 2000, at a rally in Wilmington, Ohio, as his wife Cindy watches. McCain will be greeted with public displays of graciousness when he returns to the Capitol this week after a reform-based presidential bid that rocked the Republican establishment and used fellow lawmakers as foils.
- Al Behrman / Associated Press
Republican Presidential candidates Sen. John McCain, of Arizona, left, Alan Keyes, center, and Texas Gov. George W. Bush, all try to respond to a comment by moderator Larry King, back to camera, during the Republican presidential debate sponsored by the South Carolina Business and Industry Political Education Committee, in Columbia, S.C., Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2000.
- Eric Draper / Associated Press
John McCain, and his wife Cindy stand at attention during a ceremony at the airport in Hanoi, Vietman on April 25, 2000 to repatriate the remains of American soldiers who were missing in action but recently recovered. McCain was visiting as Vietnam marked the 25th anniversary of the end of the war.
- David Guttenfelder / Associated Press
** FILE ** In this April 26, 2000, file photo, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., tells his son Jack about his time as a Vietnam war P.O.W. as they look into a prison cell at the Hoa Lo prison, nicknamed "The Hanoi Hilton" by American prisoners. McCain was a P.O.W. from October 1967 to March 1973 and spent 3 years locked in the Hoa Lo. McCain, his wife Cindy, and son are visiting Vietnam this week as the country prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of the end of the war on April 30.
- DAVID GUTTENFELDER / Associated Press
John McCain and his wife Cindy walk along the banks of Lake Truc Bach in Hanoi, Vietman on April 26, 2000 where McCain was pulled ashore after his plane was shot down in October 1967. McCain was visiting as Vietnam marked the 25th anniversary of the end of the war.
- David Guttenfelder / Associated Press
Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, of Arizona, and his wife Cindy hoist light sabers from the movie "Star Wars" during a victory rally Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2000, in Phoenix after McCain defeated Texas Gov. George W. Bush in both the Michigan and Arizona primaries. McCain frequently describes his campaign as that of Luke Skywalker fighting his way out of the Death Star. Supporters handed the sabers to the McCains from the audience.
- M. Spencer Green / Associated Press
Republican presidential hopeful Texas Gov. George W. Bush, left, listens as Sen. John McCain, of Arizona, speaks during the Des Moines Register Republican presidential candidates debate, Saturday, Jan. 15, 2000, at the Iowa Public Television studios in Johnston, Iowa.
- GARY FANDEL / Des Moines Register
Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, of Ariz., is surrounded by the press upon his arrival at the Manchester Central Fire Station Thursday afternoon, Jan. 6, 2000 in Manchester, N.H. McCain is in New Hampshire campaigning for the first in the nation presidential primary.
- STEPHAN SAVOIA / Associated Press
Standing in front of local school children, Republican presidential hopeful John McCain, R-Ariz., addresses a town hall style meeting of New Hampshire voters at Bethany Covenant Church in Bedford, N.H., Wednesday morning, Jan. 5, 2000. McCain is in New Hampshire this week campaigning in the first presidential primary.
- Stephan Savoia / Associated Press
In this Sept. 12, 2000, file photo, recovering from skin cancer surgery, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., right, talks with Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, R-Texsd, on Capitol Hill during the Senate Commerce Committee on the Firestone tire recall.
- Dennis Cook / Associated Press
Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., right, laughs as Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., second from left, answers a reporters during a Capitol Hill news conference Thursday, June 28, 2001, to discuss the Shays-Meehan Campaign Finance Reform Bill. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., left, and Rep. Michael Castle, R-Del., second from right look on.
- RICK BOWMER / Associated Press
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., kicks back in his chair and places a phone call while working in his Capitol Hill office in Washington during the Senate debate of the McCain-Finegold campaign finance reform bill, Friday March 23, 2001.
- STEPHAN SAVOIA / Associated Press
Vice Admiral Willy Moore, left, the commander of the Fifth Fleet, talks to U.S. Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Fred Thompson, R-Tenn, right, as they watch planes being launched from the deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2002, for combat missions over Afghanistan.
- J. PAT CARTER / Associated Press
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., appears at a news conference on Capitol Hill Tuesday, April 9, 2002. McCain and Sen. Russell Feingold, after shepherding the biggest campaign finance measure in 25 years through Congress, joined forces again to oppose an effort this week by House Republicans to ease a tax law that requires independent ``stealth PACs'' to disclose activities to the IRS.
- DENNIS COOK / Associated Press
President Bush walks with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., after he announced he has reached an agreement with House leaders on a resolution giving him authority to oust Saddam Hussein, in the Rose Garden, Wednesday, Oct 2, 2002. As part of the deal with the House, Bush bent to Democratic wishes and pledged to certify to Congress before any military strike, if feasible, or within 48 hours of a U.S. attack that diplomatic and other peaceful means alone are inadequate to protect Americans from Saddam's weapons of mass destruction.
- DOUG MILLS / Associated Press
House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen Joeseph Lieberman, D-Conn., prepare to testify before a public hearing for the independent commission on the Sept. 11 attacks on Capitol Hill, Thursday, May 22, 2003. McCain and Lieberman who fought to create the commission urged the panel to blow the whistle on bureaucratic barriers and government failures that left the nation vulnerable to terrorism.
- SUSAN WALSH / Associated Press
US Sen John McCain and Congressman Raul Grijalva tour the border crossing at the Mariposa port of entry in Nogales, Ariz., on Friday, Mar 14, 2003, with Undersecretary of Homeland Security Asa Hutchinson to assess efforts to tighten the border and deter terrorist and radiological and weapon infiltration.
- A.E. Araiza / Arizona Daily Star
Senator John McCain speaks to a class at the University of Arizona, Wednesday, May 28, 2003, about his experiences during the Vietnam War. The class is learning about Vietnam and The Cold War, and filled most of the time up with questions about his time spent as a POW.
- RENEE SAUER / Arizona Daily Star
Senators Edward Kennedy, left, D-Mass, Chuck Hagel, center, R-Neb, and John McCain, right, R-Ariz, share a laugh before the start of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration hearing on Evaluating the Temporary Guest Worker Proposal on the Capitol Hill, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2004 in Washington.
- MANUEL BALCE CENETA / Associated Press
U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., pushes his wife Cindy McCain out of The Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joe's Hospital Friday, April 16, 2004 in Phoenix. Mrs. McCain was released from the hospital after suffering a minor stroke on Monday. At right is Dr. Robert Spetzler, Mrs. McCain's doctor.
- MATT YORK / Associated Press
President Bush, center, sits down with, from left to right, Karen Hughes, former White House counselor, Florida State Rep. Bev Kilmer and Sen. John McCain R-Ariz., as they prepare to have lunch at Suzanne's Java CafC) in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2004.
- PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS / Associated Press
Sen. John McCain, second from right, is joined by wife Cindy, right, and unidentified aides in his hotel suite prior to speaking before the evening session of the Republican National Convention in New York, Monday, Aug. 30, 2004.
- STEPHAN SAVOIA / Associated Press
U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; Susan Collins, R-Maine; John McCain R- Ariz.; and Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y, from left, talk while visiting Exit Glacier near Seward Alaska Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2005, during a fact finding visit to Alaska and Canada to see the effects of global warming.
- AL GRILLO / Associated Press
President Bush, center, stops to acknowledge Sen. John McCain, R-AZ., who tried unsuccessfully to walk in unnoticed as he was late to the start of the presentation of the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy to members of the U.S. Naval Academy football team in a ceremony in Rose Garden of the White House Wednesday, April 20, 2005 in Washington.
- PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS / Associated Press
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., calls for bi-partisan support of Social Security reform as President Bush takes his Social Security reform crusade to the West, at a "Conversation on Strengthening Social Security" at the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum in Denver, Colo., Monday, March 21, 2005. Bush wants to assure seniors that they will continue to receive their regular government checks, while he pushes for a system of private accounts which would enable younger workers to divert a portion of their payroll taxes from Social Security deductions and into stock market investments to bankroll their retirement. Joleen Mossoni, 21, a student at University of Colorado, listens at right.
- J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE / Associated Press
FILE - In this Jan. 25, 2006 file photo, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., left, chats with Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis. on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Supreme Court has raised a range of high-stakes possibilities that could substantially scale back the hard-won 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, also named the McCain-Feingold law after its sponsors, and let corporations, unions and wealthy individuals pour money into elections in time for this year's congressional races, not to mention the 2012 presidential contest; a ruling is expected as early as Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010.
- Lauren Victoria Burke / Associated Press
Arizona Senator John McCain addresses the crowd during a town hall meeting at Valley Presbyterian Church, 2800 S. Camino Del Sol, in Green Valley on February 20, 2006. More than a thousand people showed up to listen to and question the senator.
- Ron Medvescek / Arizona Daily Star
Arizona Senator John McCain listens during a town hal meeting at Valley Presbyterian Church, 2800 S. Camino Del Sol, in Green Valley on February 20, 2006. More than a thousand people showed up to listen to and question the senator.
- Ron Medvescek / Arizona Daily Star
U.S. Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., left, talks with aids as he ascends an escalator at the Ronald Regan Building after addressing the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington April 23, 2007, before officially announce his candidacy for presidency of the United States in 2008 within the week in New Hampshire.
- Stephan Savoia / Associated Press
Presidential campaign buttons,including some show Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, are for sale by a sidewalk vendor on Monday, Nov. 3, 2008 in New York. Republican contender Sen. John McCain faces his Democratic opponent Sen. Barack Obama on Tuesday.
- Mark Lennihan / Associated Press
Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., talks to reporters while in flight from Atlanta to New Orleans, La., Friday, March 7, 2008. McCain showed a flash of the temper when repeatedly questioned by New York Times reporter Elisabeth Bumiller, second from right, about a conversation in 2004 with Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.
- Gerald Herbert / Associated Press
In a May 24, 1999 file photo Senator Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., jokingly holds the Profile in Courage award lantern as if he intends to keep it, as co-winner, Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., looks on at right during ceremonies at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston. In back row are their spouses, Victoria Kennedy, left, and Cindy McCain. Sen. Ted Kennedy has died after battling a brain tumor his family announced early Wednesday Aug. 26, 2009.
- ELISE AMENDOLA / Associated Press
The Senate Armed Services ranking Republican, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., left, talks with Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009, before the start of the committee's hearing on Mullen's reappointment.
- Susan Walsh / Associated Press
Col. Greg Stroud commander of the 162nd Fighter Wing of the Arizona Air National Guard, Senator John McCain and Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup talk at a press conference at 162nd Fighter Wing at Tucson International Airport Nov. 24, 2009 in Tucson Ariz. McCain was hoping that Tucson will be chosen as the site to house the training for the F-35 joint strike fighter aircraft.
- James Gregg / Arizona Daily Star
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., second from right, is joined on stage by his wife Cindy McCain, right, Todd Palin, left, and Sarah Palin at a campaign rally at the Pima County Fairgrounds in Tucson, Ariz., Friday, March 26, 2010. McCain, who is running for another term in the U.S. Senate, is joined by Palin for their first campaign rally together since losing the presidential election in 2008.
- Ross D. Franklin / Associated Press
FILE - In this July 16, 2010 file photo, Sen. John McCain, center, looks at former congressman J.D. Hayworth, right, as political newcomer Jim Deakin checks his notes at the first Arizona Senate Republican debate at KTVK Channel 3, Friday, July 16, 2010, in Phoenix. Hayworth is aiming to topple four-term Sen. John McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee who has been a Washington presence for nearly 30 years.
- Ross D. Franklin / Associated Press
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., center, flanked by the the committee's ranking Republican Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., right, and Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., listens to testimony on Capitol Hill in Washington Thursday, Dec. 2, 2010, during the committee's hearing on the military Don't Ask Don't Tell policy.
- Alex Brandon / Associated Press
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., third left, are joined by Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever, right, and Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, left, as they speak about a border security plan to fight illegal immigration and criminal activity along the Arizona-Mexico border during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, April 19, 2010.
- Charles Dharapak / Associated Press
Cindy McCain wipes away a tear as she and husband Sen. John McCain listen during the funeral service for nine-year-old mass shooting victim Christina-Taylor Green at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Tucson, Ariz., on Thursday Jan. 13, 2011.
- Greg Bryan / Arizona Daily Star
Marilyn Krausch holds up a photo she said shows Syrian rebels abusing prisoners and arguing the U.S. should stay out of the conflict as she talks to Sen. John McCain at his town hall meeting at the Tucson Interagency Fire Center, Thursday, September 5, 2013, Tucson, Ariz.
- Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., left, and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, center, attend an event in support of Republican presidential candidate former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, right, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012, in Charleston, S.C.
- David Goldman / Associated Press
Senator John McCain having a fun time here talking to Sergio Arellano, a combat vet and wounded warrior from the war in Iraq, at the end of the forum where McCain spoke on a number of topics at the El Pueblo Regional Center. Photo taken Tuesday, October, 22, 2013.
- Benjie Sanders / Arizona Daily Star
In this Jan. 24, 2013, file photo, then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton huddles with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., on Capitol Hill in Washington. McCain and Clinton share a friendship forged in the Senate, on fact-finding trips around the globe and over vodka shots in Estonia. He's a former Republican presidential nominee. She could be the next Democratic presidential nominee. And lately, the Clintons and McCains seem to have embraced each other, offering up their families' working relationship as an example of wlkays political leaders can overcome the partisan divide.
- J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press
From left, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. sit on Capitol Hill in Washington,D.C., Tuesday, February 12, 2013, for President Barack Obama's State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress.
- Charles Dharapak / Associated Press
Senator John McCain speaks on a number of topics at the El Pueblo Regional Center in Tucson, Ariz. on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013. In an interview Tuesday with radio station KFYI-AM in Phoenix, the Arizona Republican said that he's seriously giving a lot of thought to another bid for re-election.
- Benjie Sanders / Arizona Daily Star
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., leaves the chamber just after President Barack Obama's choice to head the Justice Department's civil rights division failed a Senate test vote and put the confirmation of Debo Adegbile in jeopardy, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, March 5, 2014.
- J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press
Sen. John McCain gets a laugh after making a reference to the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a meeting with employees at Bombardier, 1255 E Aero Park. The senator talked about a number of issues including his thoughts on ISIS, the upcoming vote on the Iranian treaty, Social Security and other topics. The photo was taken on Wednesday, August 12, 2015, in Tucson, Ariz.
- A.E. Araiza / Arizona Daily Star
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., bangs the gavel to start the committee's hearing to examine global challenges and US national security strategy, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
- Cliff Owen / Associated Press
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., answers a question, with Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., looking on, after McCain formally announced his candidacy for re-election in 2016 at an Arizona Chamber of Commerce luncheon Tuesday, April 7, 2015, in Phoenix.
- Ross D. Franklin / Associated Press
In this video frame grab image from U.S. Senate Television, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., displays a photo of the body of a three year-old Syrian refugee as he urged stronger leadership from President Barack Obama on Syria, on the Senate floor, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2015 at the Capitol in Washington. McCain stood next to an enlarged, close-up photo of Aylan Kurdi, who drowned on a voyage with his family. He said the photo has "opened the worldβs eye to this devastating crisis."
- U.S. Senate
Arizona Sen. John McCain, left, talks with Raytheon Missile Systems president Taylor Lawrence during a groundbreaking ceremony for construction of the new Aerospace Parkway south of Raytheon Missile Systems on East Hughes Access Road on Tuesday, March 31, 2015, in Tucson, Ariz. The realignment moves Hughes Access Road 2,500 feet to the south, allowing room for a second runway to be built at Tucson International Airport.
- Mike Christy / Arizona Daily Star
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., second from right, and his wife Cindy McCain, right, greets supporters after dropping off their ballots at a polling station, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016, in Phoenix. The incumbent McCain is running against Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz.
- Ross D. Franklin / Associated Press
US Senator John McCain, left, gets his photograph taken with Steve Barlow, middle, by George Cooley at Universal Avionics Systems Corporation after a town hall meeting at the plant. Barlow is a systems engineer and Cooley is a pilot and senior program manager. The photo was taken in Tucson, Ariz., on Thursday, March 31, 2016.
- A.E. Araiza / Arizona Daily Star
As he greets supporters, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is flanked by wife Cindy McCain, right, and Cheryl Flake, left, wife of Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., after being declared the winner in the Arizona Republican primary Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Phoenix. The 80-year-old McCain defeated former state Sen. Kelli Ward and two other Republicans on the ballot.
- Ross D. Franklin / Associated Press
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., left, talks with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017, prior to the start of the committee's hearing: "Foreign Cyber Threats to the United States."
- Evan Vucci / Associated Press
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., shakes hands with chair of the National Constitution Center's Board of Trustees, former Vice President Joe Biden after receiving the Liberty Medal in Philadelphia, Monday, Oct. 16, 2017. The honor is given annually to an individual who displays courage and conviction while striving to secure liberty for people worldwide.
- Matt Rourke / Associated Press
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks after he received the Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Monday, Oct. 16, 2017. The honor is given annually to an individual who displays courage and conviction while striving to secure liberty for people worldwide.
- Matt Rourke / Associated Press
Senate Armed Services committee chairman Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., right, comforts Victor Sibayan, of Chula Vista, Calif., whose son, Navy FC1(SW) Carlos Sibayan, 23, died in the USS Fitzgerald collision, after a hearing on recent Navy incidents, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
- Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press
Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., followed at right by House Armed Services Chairman Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, makes a humorous face to reporters as he arrives to speak before a meeting of the National Defense Authorization Act conferees, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
- J. Scott Applewhite
FILE - In this Dec. 1, 2017, file photo, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., leaves a closed-door session on Capitol Hill in Washington. McCain's office said Monday, April 16, 2018, he is in stable condition at a Phoenix hospital after intestinal surgery needed to stem an infection. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
- J. Scott Applewhite
This Sunday, March 18, 2018 photo provided by Meghan McCain show Meghan McCain and her father U.S. Sen. John McCain in Sedona, Ariz. Meghan McCain has posted the photo on social media of her with her father, saying there's "no place I would rather be."
- Meghan McCain
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