McCain Wins 5th Senate Term

Aug. 23: Sen. John McCain speaks during a campaign stop at his headquarters in Phoenix. (Reuters)

Republican John McCain has defeated a little-known Democrat to win a fifth term in the U.S. Senate.

The general election leg of McCain's campaign was less formidable than his primary challenge from former six-term congressman J.D. Hayworth.

McCain's general election opponent was Rodney Glassman, a 32-year-old former Tucson city councilman who cast himself as an earnest advocate of public education and alternative energy.

Glassman's campaign didn't gain much traction and was dogged by allegations that his 2005 doctoral dissertation contained plagiarized material. He denied the allegation.

McCain won another Senate term despite having been labeled at the outset of his re-election campaign as a vulnerable incumbent. In the end, he crushed Hayworth in the primary.