DIGEST

ARIZONA

Palin to campaign for McCain, others

Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin (R) will campaign in Arizona for Sen. John McCain, her ticket mate in the 2008 presidential race, as he bids for a fifth term in the Senate.

Palin will also campaign on behalf of Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, she announced on her Facebook page. The moves suggest that she is simultaneously shoring up her political base while trying to heal the wounds left over from 2008.

Perry and Bachmann are beloved figures among the most conservative wing of the Republican Party -- the same voters that view Palin as "their" candidate if she was to run in 2012. And, in appearing with McCain, Palin is extending a hand to the man who made her a national figure by naming her to the presidential ticket in 2008.

"I'm looking forward to getting back on the campaign trail with my former running mate," McCain said. "Sarah energized our nation and remains a leading voice in the Republican Party."

-- Chris Cillizza

McCain's wife backs same-sex marriage

Cindy McCain, the wife of Sen. John McCain, and their daughter, Meghan, have posed for photos endorsing pro-gay marriage forces in California.

Cindy McCain appears with silver duct tape across her mouth and "NOH8" written on one cheek in a photo posted Wednesday to the Web site of NOH8, a gay rights group opposed to Proposition 8. The ballot measure passed by California voters in 2008 bans same-sex marriage.

Meghan McCain, who has been outspoken in her support for gay rights, has also endorsed NOH8. She appears with silver duct tape across her mouth and "NOH8" on a cheek in a photo on her Twitter site.

Cindy McCain contacted NOH8 and offered to pose for the photo endorsement, the Web site said.

John McCain's office said in a statement that the 2008 Republican presidential nominee respects the views of members of his family but remains opposed to same-sex marriage.

"Sen. McCain believes the sanctity of marriage is only defined as between one man and one woman," the statement said.

-- Associated Press