SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- U.S. Sen. John McCain, veering a bit from partisan politics, was unwilling Friday to bet on the results of next week's election and whether key races would yield Congressional control to Democrats.
The Republican senator from Arizona said it's a "tough" call. "It'll depend on getting out the vote," he said.
Known for his bipartisan stances, McCain made his comments as a guest speaker at an annual luncheon of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, which represents more than 200 of the region's employers. He was joined by Cisco Systems Inc. chief executive John Chambers to discuss the nation's competitiveness in the global economy, but the dialogue ranged from the need for more tax credits for research and development to politics.
McCain's remarks on how the election outcome was anybody's guess come as other top Republicans are expressing confidence their party would retain control of the House and Senate.
Democrats need a net gain of six seats to reclaim control of the Senate, where 33 of the 100 seats are up for a vote. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives also are at stake, and Democrats need a gain of 15 to gain control there.
McCain, who has said he has not yet decided whether to run for president in 2008, said a factor in his decision would be whether he would want to subject his family to inevitable political attacks.
"It hurts your family more than it hurts you," he said.
"Something's got to change," he said. "I have not seen more bitterness or nastier campaigning as I have for this election."
McCain ran for the Republican nomination in 2000 but was defeated by President Bush.
He joked Friday about the night he lost to Bush: "I slept like a baby -- you know, sleep for two hours then wake up and cry, sleep for two hours, then wake up and cry."
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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