Arizona State Senator Kelli Ward has gained the endorsement of the influential group Gun Owners of America in her campaign for U.S. Senate against entrenched beltway insider John McCain.

“People at Gun Owners have met with Senator Ward, they are very impressed. She has a great record in the Arizona Senate and she will be quite an upgrade from what we’ve had so far,” Gun Owners of America Executive Director Larry Pratt told Breitbart News on Monday.

Ward received praise from GOA during her tenure as an Arizona State Senator for introducing legislation on second amendment rights. A GOA statement read in part, “The provisions of S.B. 1294 are simple and easy to understand: Arizona officials would be barred from enforcing federal gun control law, and would be fired if they do.”

Ward is stepping down from her position as State Senator effective December 15. The practicing physician made the decision to focus full time on her campaign to unseat entrenched Republican Senator McCain as she continues to gain support.

Pratt added, “Senator McCain does not respect the Constitution. He is so irritable and so dislikes being criticized that he actually tried to eliminate the first amendment 60 days before an election, namely the McCain-Feingold Act.”

“We really love Dr. Ward, she’s done amazing things in the Senate here in Arizona. She is by far the strongest on the Second Amendment. We’re really enthusiastic to see what she would do as a U.S. Senator,” GOA Community Liaison Jennifer Lawrence told Breitbart News on Sunday.

John McCain gets a D- rating from GOA. In 2004 ratings, McCain scored an F- with GOA and a C with the NRA. In 2010 McCain rated B+ with the NRA. By 2012 McCain was down to a D- rating from GOA. GOA described a D- rating as, “Leans Anti-Gun: usually against us.”

Dustin Stockton, also a Community Liaison for GOA, told Breitbart News, “John McCain is terrible on the second amendment. For 30 years GOA has been fighting to put the second amendment on offense and John McCain has regularly been an impediment to the pro-second amendment agenda. It was a high priority to find somebody to defeat Senator McCain and we couldn’t be more impressed with Dr. Ward.”

Conservative Campaign Committee PAC advocated for Ward in November. In an email the group highlighted words from GOA on McCain, calling the entrenched Senator, “a liberal in disguise.”

Dr. Ward gave a speech on Sunday at the Crossroads gun show in Phoenix. Stockton introduced Senator Ward leading up to her speech.

Stockton went on to say, “I’m excited that a national gun rights organization has recognized the importance of having people in Washington D.C. that support our second amendment rights to the fullest extent.”

Follow Michelle Moons on Twitter @MichelleDiana