Backgrounder: U.S. Republican presidential candidate John McCain

2008 CAMPAIGN

When McCain announced his bid for the White House for the second time in 2007, he was not in a favorable position since the Republican camp was more crowded and competitive.

Due to a lack of campaign fund, staff shake-ups and fading polling results, McCain once even considered of dropping out of the race before it started.

However, McCain made his "comeback" in the New Hampshire primary and solidified his winner status on the Super Tuesday on Feb. 5 when more than 20 states simultaneously held elections.

On March 4, 2008, McCain, with victories in Ohio and Texas primaries, finally crossed the threshold of 1,191 delegates needed to secure the candidacy.

He accepted the presidential nomination on Sept. 4 at the Republican national convention and nominated Alaska female governor Sarah Palin as his running mate.

With a campaign platform showing support for many traditional Republican policies and also a new course the country needs, McCain launched a showdown with Obama.

Besides his age, McCain was questioned for his link with the current Republican government led by President Bush that registered record-low approval ratings. However, he has promised a different administrative approach.

HIS FAMILY

McCain married Carol Shepp, a model from Philadelphia, in 1965 and adopted her two children Douglas and Andrew. The couple then had a daughter named Sidney. But their marriage began to falter after he was assigned to Florida in the 1970s when he had an extramarital affair.

In April 1979, McCain met Cindy Hensley, a teacher from Phoenix, Arizona, whose family owned a large beer distributorship. He divorced Carol in 1980 and married Cindy later in the year.

They have a daughter and two sons as well as an adopted orphan girl from Bangladesh, named Bridget.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei