I am so proud of the voters in Arizona. We turned out in record numbers, through vote by mail, same day drop off ballots and voting in person on Election Day. We demonstrated in Arizona that, even in a pandemic, we will turn out in droves to participate in electing our leaders, obey the rules and take pride in the execution of our democracy.

My mother-in-law, Roberta Wright McCain, died in her Washington home a little after one o’clock eastern time this afternoon. Her son, Joe, was with her when she passed away. The matriarch of the McCain clan, devoted wife, mother, grandmother and sister, her relations were as captivated by her charms as were her thousands of admirers. […]

To me voting is the most important thing you can do as an American. It’s your right and your duty. We’re still struggling with equal pay and other issues that affect women on a daily basis. But look how far we’ve come! Our opinions, where we stand and what we want to have for our country are very important now, and we’re a constituency that has to be looked at.

Tomorrow, August 29, would have been John McCain’s 84th birthday. It has been two years since we lost him and we still miss him terribly. So does the nation he served faithfully for sixty years. When John died, our politics lost a strong and often argumentative voice, fighting for the ideals he believed in.

I was in the far northern reaches of Canada on a wilderness river when Senator John McCain died. We got to our endpoint—Nahanni Butte—where there was internet connection, and I learned that he passed away a few days earlier. It was not a surprise, obviously. Friends had been keeping me posted about his struggles and diminished strength through the summer. Still, it was a very sad day when I heard the news.

Tributes at the U.S. Naval Academy honoring Senator John McCain today by General David H. Petraeus and Jack McCain.

Tributes at the Washington National Cathedral Memorial Services Honoring Senator John McCain today by Meghan McCain, Senator Joe Lieberman, Dr. Henry Kissinger, President George W. Bush, President Barack Obama.

Since his passing, I note that little mention has been made about Senator John McCain’s legacy of work on issues critical to the Nation’s Indian tribal governments and their citizens. As a citizen of the Hopi tribe of Arizona, I feel compelled to remind us that, in addition to his work on foreign policy and national defense, during the majority of his time in the House and Senate, Senator McCain was a leading voice for and architect of federal Indian policy.

As Senator John S. McCain rounded 80, it looked like he might have his mother’s DNA: she is still alive at 106. When he died on August 25 (the same day Ted Kennedy died), I realized he was as mortal as the rest of us. But that doesn’t quite capture his magic, so I turned to Hamlet: “He was a man. Take him for all in all. I shall not look upon his like again.”

My fellow Americans, whom I have gratefully served for sixty years, and especially my fellow Arizonans, thank you for the privilege of serving you and for the rewarding life that service in uniform and in public office has allowed me to lead. I have tried to serve our country honorably. I have made mistakes, but I hope my love for America will be weighed favorably against them.