John McCain censured by Arizona GOP for being too liberal

A state committee meeting of the Arizona Republican Party formally censured U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) Saturday for a voting record they considered too liberal.

The censure at the party committee meeting in Tempe was not apparently part of the initial agenda, but the Associated Press reported that committee members approved the censure by a voice-vote. A resolution needed signatures from at least 20 percent of state committee members to reach the floor for debate, the AP reported.

McCain has campaigned as a conservative but has lent his support to issues "associated with liberal Democrats," such as immigration reform and funding the Affordable Care Act, the AP reported the resolution as stating.

Other resolutions discussed during the Arizona GOP meeting included opposition to immigration "amnesty" for undocumented migrants, support for Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County and Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Mike Lee (R-UT), and repeal of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which allows for direct election of U.S. senators instead their of appointment by state legislatures.