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John McCain won't be the only Republican to skip the convention. | John Shinkle/POLITICO McCain skipping convention to campaign for own Senate seat

The 2008 Republican presidential nominee will not attend the party’s national convention in July.

Arizona Sen. John McCain told reporters Tuesday that he may forgo attending what’s expected to be a contested convention this summer in order to campaign for his Senate seat.

“I have to campaign for reelection, and I have always done that when I’m up,” McCain said. “We have a late primary in Arizona.”

Though the GOP convention is scheduled for July 18-21, the Arizona lawmaker also faces an Aug. 30 primary against former state Sen. Kelli Ward and business owner Alex Meluskey.

McCain is virtually tied in a general election match-up with Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, according to a RealClearPolitics average of state polls.

A McCain aide later confirmed to POLITICO that the senator would be campaigning in lieu of attending the convention. “John McCain will be working and campaigning in Arizona during the convention,” said Lorna Romero, communications director for McCain’s reelection campaign. “He has always taken every election seriously, this year is no different.”

McCain, however, is far from the only Republican to do so. New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte told CNN last week that it was “unlikely” she would attend, while North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr suggested he would be “more valuable outside of Cleveland than inside of Cleveland.” Both cited reelection campaigns as the reasoning behind staying home.

South Carolina Rep. Mick Mulvaney is also among roughly a dozen congressional Republicans who he said have agreed not to attend the convention.