A Democratic candidate has won the state of Arizona only once in the past 40 years, but McCain is worried that Trump could bring out record Hispanic turnout in the state—and cost him the Senate seat he’s held since 1987. “If Donald Trump is at the top of the ticket, here in Arizona, with over 30 percent of the vote being the Hispanic vote, no doubt that this may be the race of my life,” McCain said at a closed-door fundraiser. “If you listen or watch Hispanic media in the state and in the country, you will see that it is all anti-Trump. The Hispanic community is roused and angry in a way that I’ve never seen in 30 years.”
It’s possible that McCain was overstating the case—this was a fundraiser, after all, and donors are more likely to give money in contested races. But it also indicates that Trump may not just be a threat to down-ballot Republicans in so-called blue or purple states—Republicans in diverse red states like Arizona may also be in jeopardy.