At age 80, Arizona Sen. John McCain is still unsure when he will officially retire from Washington — but for now he's campaigning for re-election in November.
McCain spoke to The Washington Post and said he hasn't decided when he will end his career as a lawmaker that began in 1983 in the U.S. House.
"I don't know," McCain said.
"The last two or three I have treated, you know, as the last campaign, because that's a decision you would make some years from now. Frankly, I hadn't thought about it much."
McCain is in the midst of a tough campaign as he tries to secure his sixth term in the Senate after first joining the legislative body in 1987. Kelli Ward, a former Arizona state senator, is challenging McCain in Tuesday's primary and has a legitimate chance of winning and preventing McCain's name from appearing on the November ballot.
A Breitbart News Network/Gravis Marketing poll this week showed McCain with a 4-point lead entering Tuesday's voting.
Ward has attacked McCain for his age, saying he's too old to continue serving in the Senate. If he does win Tuesday and goes on to win in November, his six-year term would mean he would be up for reelection in 2022.
"I'm a doctor. The life expectancy of the American male is not 86. It's less," Ward said last week.
McCain has received support from several high-profile Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, Rep. Pete King, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and former UN Ambassador John Bolton.
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