Opinion: What about John McCain’s day job?

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Now that the long-serving senator from Arizona has the Republican presidential nomination all but sewn up, some folks in Arizona are speculating that John McCain might quit his day job this summer to concentrate full time on running for president.

The campaign says McCain has no current plans to do so, and frankly it doesn’t make strategic sense for McCain to give up the seat, for a couple of reasons. First off, he may not win in the fall and might need the gig. But beyond the personal, there’s the party to think of.

McCain’s current term doesn’t expire until next year, and under Arizona law if he resigns and Gov. Janet Napolitano appoints a replacement, it must be from the same party. That wouldn’t affect the balance of power, which the Democrats hold by a thin margin with the help of independents Bernard Sanders of Vermont and Joe Lieberman, who has endorsed McCain, of Connecticut.

But if McCain quits the seat this summer, Arizona would hold an election in November to fill his unexpired term, putting a safe seat in play at a time when even some Republicans are fearing a slaughter at the polls. If Napolitano, a Democrat, fills the seat, that would give a Republican a short stint as incumbent, but not enough to really make a difference.

So look for McCain to hang on to the day job until after the fall election. He and the party have more to lose by his quitting.

-- Scott Martelle