John McCain Seeks Support From Latino Voters With 'Unidos con McCain' Campaign for Re-Election Bid

U.S. Senator John McCain has announced a new campaign aimed to reach more Latino voters for his re-election bid.

"Unidos con McCain" or "United with McCain" was introduce by the Republican candidate at a campaign event in Phoenix, Arizona's Desert Sky Mall last week, Fox News Latino reported. McCain paid a visit to an area in the mall called "Mercado de los Cielos," a former warehouse that is now the home of dozens of small shops owned generally by Latinos.

"This is an example of what entrepreneurship and opportunity is all about," said McCain, as quoted by KTAR News. "This is what our Arizona economy is all about."

He continued, "Hispanic culture, Hispanic food, Hispanic influence into our state has made our state a diverse, and cultural and wonderful state because of that."

Serving as members of McCain's Hispanic coalition are: Tommy Espinoza, head of a community development fund; Lea Marquez-Peterson, president of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; and Phoenix pastor Jose Gonzales, Fox News Latino listed. Ana Carolina Pereira, a former television news reporter, is the campaign's outreach director for Latinos.

McCain believes that his re-election bid with Arizona's Hispanic voting bloc would not be affected by his fellow Republican candidates' controversial stance on immigration.

"First of all, I do not agree with comments that were made by Mr. Trump, and I said so at the time, and I will continue to strongly disagree with his comments," he said, as reported by The Arizona Republic. "But I also believe that the people of Arizona will make a judgment on my record, which is very long, and my support of the Hispanic community. ... And I'm proud of that record, and I'm proud of the support that I have in the Hispanic community."

According to The Arizona Republic, McCain's performance on immigration and border security issues is "long and complicated," which is the major criticism poked at his campaign for a sixth U.S. Senate term.

This year, GOP frontrunner Donald Trump said that McCain is "very weak on immigration," the news outlet added. State Sen. Kelli Ward also challenges McCain repeatedly on the issue. Espinoza, a Democrat and co-chair of "Unidos con McCain," said that the senator is "willing to take a hit on issues that he thinks are important," The Arizona Republic noted.

McCain demanded a secure U.S.-Mexico border and citizenship reforms in his 2008 presidential bid and 2010 Senate re-election race, The Arizona Republic wrote. In 2013, he was a member of the "Gang of Eight," a group that pushed for a bipartisan immigration reform package that included a pathway to legalization for majority of the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S.