Political Wire

SubscribeSign in
  • Front Page
  • Trending News
  • Polling Dashboard
  • Trial Balloon
  • Membership
    • Subscribe
    • Sign In
  • Sign In
  • Contact Us
Theme
Text size

How McCain Ended Up Picking Sarah Palin

August 13, 2018 · 6:47 am ET · Leave a Comment

Former McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt explained on the Words Matter podcast how Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) settled on Sarah Palin as his running mate.

Said Schmidt: “I have regret about that every day that I wake up. But what happened here was — that my idea, and McCain supported it, was that he was going to pick Joe Lieberman.”

He continued: “What happened though is Lindsey Graham went out, not maliciously, but he let the secrets spill, it leaked when he was talking to a group of activists in South Carolina, and within a very short period of time we had heard from Limbaugh from Hannity, directly from President Bush, from Karl Rove saying ‘you can’t do it.”

2008 Campaign Sarah Palin

← PreviousCarl Paladino Announces Congressional BidNext →Goodlatte’s Son Backs Democrat for Father’s Seat

Latest on Political Wire

  • 9:11 pmAnother Bonus Quote of the Day
  • 9:08 pmExchange of the Day
  • 7:32 pmHouse GOP Leaders Admit Redistricting Fell Short

Front page →

Political Wire is reader-supported. Join for ad-free reading, member posts and new features →

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.

More about Taegan Goddard →

Your Account

Members

For the full experience, sign in.

Become a Member

  • Join Political Wire
  • Gift a Membership

Members Only

  • Another Brutal Warning Sign for Republicans
  • Who’s Running Ken Paxton’s Campaign?
  • The Battleground Is Getting Much Bigger
  • One Chart That Explains the Midterm Elections
  • Weekly News Quiz

Word of the Day Political Dictionary

Straw Man

A “straw man” refers to an intentionally misrepresented proposition or argument that is set up because it is easier to defeat than an opponent’s real argument.

Read the definition →

Yesterday’s Word of the Day: Blue State

Show me a random term

Think You Know Politics?

  • The Way It Was →
  • Yea or Nay? →
  • Split Decision →
  • Pollster →

Copyright © 2026 · Goddard Media LLC

Political Wire® is a registered trademark of Goddard Media LLC

Also from Goddard Media: Political Dictionary · Political Job Hunt · Electoral Vote Map

Privacy PolicyCorrections PolicyContact