McCain Turns Focus To His Fundraising

But Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), a leading centrist who has known McCain for 25 years, said that the Arizonan has a blunt-spoken nature that usually comes across as a positive trait. "With John you get the whole package, and it's someone who feels passionately about the issues," said Snowe, who has endorsed McCain.

She said that candidates can cross over from being straight talkers and into just plain angry, potentially torpedoing their campaigns. "You saw it with Howard Dean," she said of the Democratic National Committee chairman's 2004 bid. "It's one thing to be passionate about issues, to express those frustrations, and another to lose control."

Jones said that McCain remains engaged in the business of the Senate. "He's been there for the big votes and will continue to be there for the critical votes," Jones said.

McCain gave a speech in Oklahoma on Monday and held a conference call with conservative bloggers yesterday. Jones said that McCain's candidacy gives him an opportunity to grab even more attention for issues he cares about such as immigration.

"He's got a unique megaphone," Jones said. "He can talk about these issues . . . in a way that only a handful of other senators can."

McCain is not the only senator running for president to miss votes. Sen. Sam Brownback (Kan.), a Republican rival, and Democrat Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.) have missed one-third of the votes this year. During the same period in 2003, Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) missed 75 votes as he geared up for his presidential campaign.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) has missed only four Senate votes so far this year.

But Republicans in the Senate, who are one vote shy of the majority, are keenly aware of McCain's frequent absence and his need to focus on fundraising.

Sen. Trent Lott (Miss.), the Republican vote counter, is a strong supporter of McCain's presidential bid and speaks regularly with McCain. If a vote is so close that McCain might make the difference, Lott has the task of trying to order his friend off the campaign trail and back to the Senate for the vote. And McCain supporters said the senator has pledged to be there when he needs to be.

"Every candidate has this struggle to balance their time between political campaigning and fundraising. Those who have a regular job, too, have a three-way balance," said Charles Black, a longtime Republican strategist and a McCain backer.

Tomorrow, McCain has two fundraisers scheduled in Washington -- an 8:15 a.m. breakfast and a small reception at 8:15 p.m. Jones said the time between the two events has been reserved for Senate business.

That will be McCain's first trip back to the Senate since his cursing match with Cornyn. Shortly after that meeting, McCain joined nine other senators and two Cabinet secretaries to announce a bipartisan deal on immigration reform. He then quickly headed to Manhattan for a fundraiser and a speaking engagement -- missing another vote, this one on the $2.9 trillion annual spending blueprint for the federal government.

Washingtonpost.com database editor Derek Willis contributed to this report.