“Please make a contribution to help me expose the fake media and combat the NeverTrump ‘Republicans’ by donating $250, $100, or even $50 today,” she wrote in bold letters.

The email was sent Monday, a few days after she suggested during an interview with an Indiana radio station that McCain should think about leaving office sooner rather than later. She also expressed some interest when asked about the prospect of being considered for McCain’s seat.

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“I hope Senator McCain is going to look long and hard at this, that his family and his advisers are going to look at this, and they’re going to advise him to step away as quickly as possible, so that the business of the country and the business of Arizona being represented at the federal level can move forward,” Ward told the radio station Thursday, a day after McCain’s office announced that he has been diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain cancer.

McCain’s cancer is “both devastating and debilitating,” Ward said in a follow-up statement on her website, and he “owes it to the people of Arizona to step aside” when he’s no longer able to perform his duties.

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Critics immediately slammed the family physician and former Arizona state senator over her comments, calling them classless, opportunistic and insensitive. Some accused her of prematurely angling for McCain’s seat. The 80-year-old senator is not up for reelection until 2022 and has not indicated that he plans to relinquish his seat. He also returned to Washington on Tuesday for a vote on the Senate health-care bill.

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In the email sent to supporters, Ward, who lost to McCain in last year’s Republican primary and is now challenging U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), said:

Over the weekend a coordinated attack to destroy my campaign was launched by the fake news and the NeverTrump establishmen t … and it’s no surprise these attacks were launched as new polling shows our campaign surging to a significant lead over Sanctuary Senator Flake. It’s true that I believe that if Senator McCain’s health prevents him from performing his duties as a Senator, that he should step aside. It’s also true that I’m dismayed at the Senate’s inability to pass the America First agenda. It’s not true that I demanded McCain resign so that I could take his place, I plan on earning my seat in the Senate by defeating Sanctuary Senator Flake.

Ward told The Washington Post that her comments during the radio interview with Indiana’s WOWO News shouldn’t be interpreted as her floating her name to replace McCain, adding that she has her own race against Flake. She said she was simply answering a question from the host about what would happen if McCain does leave public office — and whether she’s qualified to replace him. Ward also slammed media outlets, naming CNN and HuffPost, and said they created a false narrative that she has an underlying motive.

During the interview, Ward talked about what Arizona law requires in the event that McCain does leave office. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) would have to appoint someone from the same party to fill the vacancy until the 2018 general election.

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The host then asked her if her name is getting “thrown in the hat” as a possible replacement, to which Ward said: “Well, you know, I certainly hope so. Because, you know, I have a proven track record from years in the state Senate of being extremely effective and of listening to the voice of the people that I represent.”

Ward said it’s only logical for her to vouch for her qualifications because she proved to be a worthy challenger against McCain last year. (She came in second, with 39.2 percent of the primary vote.)

“I think I’m an excellent candidate,” she said. “I can’t wait to get to Washington, D.C., to do the job that needs to be done.”

Critics who took to social media said Ward needs to apologize to McCain for floating herself as his replacement shortly after his cancer diagnosis.

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Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) said in a pair of tweets Saturday that Ward shouldn’t be elected to the U.S. Senate.

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