McCain: GOP nomination within grasp

Arizona Senator John McCain spoke to cheering supporters in Phoenix just moments ago and declared that he was confident that the Republican nomination for president was near.

“Tonight we must get used to the idea that we are the frontrunner for the Republican nomination,” he said.

“It’s fair to say that we are one step closer to the day that mothers in Arizona can tell their children that they can become President of the United States.”

McCain, serving his fourth term in the U.S. Sentate, thanked his family and Arizona supporters. He acknowledged Republican rivals Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee. And he offered something of an olive branch to the conservatives with whom he has often wrangled.

“We will do it by forcefully standing up for principles that made our party great,” he said.