Upton Remembers John McCain

youngfredwithmuhammadaliandjohnmccain
youngfredwithmuhammadaliandjohnmccain

Congressman Fred Upton is remembering Senator John McCain, who passed away Saturday. Upton, who campaigned with McCain in 2007 as the Arizona senator was seeking the Republican nomination for president, tells us he and McCain had a special bond. Upton tells WSJM News he remembers one early morning in February of 2007 when he and McCain were in Traverse City knocking on doors and asking for support.

“We saw these lights on a house down the road and said, ‘Let’s walk down there and say hello. Maybe they’ll have some coffee or something.’ It was like 6:30 or 7 in the morning. We walked down the street and it was a really nice-looking looking house, a big two story house, and as we got closer it became apparent it was a business, and yes, it was a funeral home.”

Upton says reporters followed him and McCain all the way there. He says the funeral home owner was nice enough. Upton and McCain also worked on securing health research funding in the 1990s. McCain visited St. Joseph when he spoke to the Economic Club of Southwestern Michigan during its 2006-2007 season, and Upton says the senator was impressed with the town. He and Upton took a look at the war memorials along the bluff together. Upton says McCain was a “real solid guy.”