* Arizona's senior senator ran against George W. Bush for the Republication presidential nomination in 2000. A decisive victory in the New Hampshire primary gave McCain a strong start, but he ended his run that spring after he was unable to appeal to the party's more conservative voters.
* McCain teamed up with Russell D. Feingold (D-Wis.) on campaign finance reform. The McCain-Feingold bill, which became law in March 2002, bans "soft money" contributions to political parties and limits "issue ads" before an election.
* McCain has joined Democrats to support issues such as stem cell research and HMO regulation, and to oppose a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. He worked with Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John F. Kerry in the 1990s to press for normalizing diplomatic ties with Vietnam.
* McCain has dismissed talk of switching political parties and has supported many Republican initiatives, including Bush's war on terrorism. He was also one of 10 members of Congress to sign a letter in December 2001 that advocated attacking Iraq.
Sources: The Almanac of American Politics, The Brookings Institution,
mccain.senate.gov, www.mccain2000.com
