Did Hayworth challenge push McCain to flip on amnesty?

By Catharine Richert
Published on Thursday, May 6th, 2010 at 12:20 p.m.

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"Up until two weeks ago, John McCain was a leading proponent of amnesty. Now with me challenging him, suddenly he has changed."

J.D. Hayworth, Wednesday, April 28th, 2010.

Ruling: Pants on Fire! | Details

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U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) speaks with Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu outside VFW Post #1677 during a campaign stop on April 24, 2010 in Casa Grande, Arizona.

As the immigration debate rages in Arizona, J.D. Hayworth, the former U.S. representative who is running against incumbent John McCain for an Arizona Senate seat, said McCain has recently changed his tune on immigration.

"Up until two weeks ago, John McCain was a leading proponent of amnesty. Now with me challenging him, suddenly he has changed," Hayworth told host Neil Cavuto in a Fox Business Network interview on April 28, 2010.

We checked out McCain's evolving stance on immigration and found that McCain has in recent years put more emphasis on border security, but he has never fully backed away from further immigration reform, including a pathway to citizenship. We rated Hayworth's claim Pants on Fire!