JOHN McCAIN: Takes Michigan, Arizona Primaries

      GOP presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) won the "biggest electoral prize thus far," beating out rival Texas Gov. George W. Bush in both the Arizona and Michigan primaries, the New York Times reports. McCain's victory "quashed any notion among Republicans that Bush is now their invincible nominee" (Berke, 2/23). McCain took 50% of the vote in Michigan, where Bush won 44% and Alan Keyes took 5%. In Arizona, McCain won 60%, Bush took 36% and Keyes won 4%. Following the lead of the National Right to Life Committee and its South Carolina affiliate, Michigan Right to Life lent Bush a hand in assailing McCain's abortion stance over the weekend (Zuckman/Kranish, Boston Globe, 2/23). According to a Voter News Service exit poll of 2,284 voters, McCain won the majority of voters in Michigan who believe that abortion should be "always legal" or "mostly legal." Sixty-four percent of voters who believe abortion should always be legal voted for McCain, 2% for Keyes and 31% for Bush. Of voters who maintained that abortion should be mostly legal, 65% voted for McCain, 3% for Keyes and 30% for Bush. Bush fared better among voters who believe that abortion should be mostly illegal or always illegal. Fifty-one percent of voters who maintained that abortion should be mostly illegal cast their vote for Bush, 41% for McCain and 5% for Keyes. Of those voters who believe that abortion should always be illegal, 61% voted for Bush, 27% for McCain and 11% for Keyes (Voter News Service/Washington Times exit poll, 2/23).