JOHN MCCAIN

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BIRTHDAY: Aug. 29, 1936 (71) HOMETOWN: Phoenix RELIGION: Episcopalian FAMILY: Married second wife Cindy Hensley in 1980; seven children, four grandchildren

EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree, U.S. Naval Academy, 1958; graduate of the National War College, 1974

EXPERIENCE: Pilot, U.S. Navy, 1958-1981; retired as a captain. Shot down over North Vietnam on Oct. 26, 1967; prisoner of war for 51/2 years. Congressman, 1983-1987; senator 1987-present. Ran for the 2000 Republican presidential nomination

YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW: McCain’s father, Admiral John S. McCain Jr., commanded American forces in Vietnam while his son was a prisoner of war

CAMPAIGN OFFICIAL WEB SITE WWW.JOHNMCCAIN.COM

DECISION TO RUN:

After surviving terrible treatment as a POW, McCain said God must have spared him for a purpose. "I should spend this time trying to serve a cause greater than myself," he told the Christian Science Monitor.

MAJOR THEMES:

Courageous service, experienced leadership and bold solutions. McCain says he will ensure strong national security, lower taxes, reform of Social Security and Medicare and elimination of wasteful spending.

IN NEVADA:

Has been to Nevada three times, including a stop in Elko on his official campaign announcement tour; but McCain’s last visit to the state was in May, before his campaign underwent a major streamlining. McCain is endorsed by Clark County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury and two state senators.

IN THE POLLS

NATIONALLY

McCain’s poll numbers declined consistently during most of 2007, leveling off in the low teens late in the year. He has enjoyed a late surge in New Hampshire, a critical early state.

NEVADA

A Review-Journal poll early this month showed McCain with the support of 7 percent of likely Republican caucus-goers, placing him fifth among candidates.

POSITIONS

WAR/NATIONAL SECURITY

Believes a greater military commitment is needed in Iraq to ensure long-term success. He argues that an early withdrawal would condemn Iraq to civil war and intervention by its neighbors and energize jihadists, jeopardizing security.

HEALTH CARE

Would offer a tax credit of $2,500 ($5,000 for families) to anyone who buys health insurance, whether through an employer or not. The credit would replace the tax-free portion of premiums paid by employers, and become taxable income to the individual. If an individual’s policy cost less than the credit, the remainder could be deposited in a health savings account.

IMMIGRATION

Co-sponsored the immigration reform package that failed in Congress earlier this year. The bill would have created a temporary guest worker program and allowed millions of illegal immigrants to eventually apply for legal status. He now says he realizes none of that can happen unless the borders are secured first.

NEVADA ISSUES

In favor of the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. Asked how he planned to dispose of nuclear waste, McCain told the Brattleboro Reformer in Vermont: "My preference is that we store it. I always thought that Yucca Mountain was the right place to do it."

ENERGY

Wants the United States to produce 80 percent of its electricity using nuclear power, up from the current 19 percent. "The barriers to nuclear energy are political not technological. … If France can produce 80 percent of its electricity with nuclear power, why can’t we? Is France a more secure, advanced and innovative country than we are?"

TAXES

Opposed the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts. "I cannot in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the benefits go to the more fortunate among us at the expense of middle-class Americans," he said in 2001. But in 2006 McCain voted to extend the cuts, saying voting against them would amount to tax increases. McCain has said he would expand the lowest income tax bracket to cover higher incomes.

CRITICS

Some conservatives criticize McCain for being soft on illegal immigration. The failed immigration bill he co-sponsored would have created a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, but critics said it was tantamount to amnesty. Fiscal conservatives are critical of McCain’s refusal to sign the so-called Taxpayer Protection Pledge, which commits the signer to oppose any increase in marginal income tax rates.

A media darling during his failed 2000 bid, Arizona Sen. John McCain emerged as an early front runner for 2008. But campaign mismanagement and getting sideways with many in his party over immigration reform took the wind out of his sails. Despite being written off several months ago, McCain is surging in New Hampshire and enjoying renewed attention as the Republican nomination looks to be up for grabs.