McCain Wraps Up Colorado Visit, Touts Sias in Colorado’s 7th Congressional District

Sen. John McCain ended his two-part Colorado trip (he stumped for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jane Norton earlier in the day) with a visit to the campaign headquarters of 7th Congressional District candidate Lang Sias. He hopes to earn a chance to face Democratic Rep. Ed Perlmutter in November.

To a small but inspired crowd McCain talked about the threat of terrorism and praised his fellow veteran–Sias has served in the Navy and the Air National Guard–as particularly attuned to veterans’ needs and on top of critical security issues:

“Right now, our nation needs leaders, and this is a proven leader . . . We need people with proven leadership who understand the rigors and the demands of patriotism of the men and women who are in the military and also understand the national security challenges that this nation faces in the future.”

McCain also noted that Colorado remains a swing state, and wondered aloud if the momentum currently enjoyed by the GOP in such measures as the generic ballot was an indication of strong disapproval of the policies of President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, or support of the Republican agenda.

“We haven’t sealed the deal yet, we have got to give the people of this country a positive agenda and a positive reason to vote for Republican candidates,” McCain said.

McCain also spoke to about 50 attendees at the Norton campaign event at Mesa State College earlier Sunday.

The Aug. 10 primary pits Sias against Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier, who is also a veteran. The winner will face Perlmutter, one of the more liberal members of Congress despite the swing nature of the congressional district.

**Update: video of McCain’s joint appearance with Norton on Sunday.