Kammala wannan jumla: A zaben shugaban kasa na 2004 na Amurka, an sake ambaton McCain sau da yawa don gurbin mataimakin shugaban kasa, kawai wannan lokacin a matsayin wani ɓangare na tikitin "Democratic" a ƙarƙashin dan takarar John Kerry. Kerry da McCain sun kasance kusa tun lokacin da suka yi aiki a farkon shekarun 1990 &lt;a href="Senate%20Select%20Committee%20on%20POW/MIA%20Affairs"&gt; Sanarwar Sanata a kan POW/MIA Affairs&lt;/a&gt;, kuma an ga ma'aurata suna da babban abin sha'awa ga masu jefa kuri'a masu zaman kansu, tare da binciken da ke tabbatar da ra'ayin. McCain ya bayyana a bude irin wannan yiwuwar a wata hira a watan Maris 2004, kawai don ma'aikatansa su ƙi shi sa'o'i daga baya. A watan Yunin 2004, an bayar da rahoton cewa Kerry ya ba da damar ba da izini ga McCain sau da yawa, amma McCain ya ƙi, ko dai a kan cewa ba zai yiwu ba kuma ya raunana shugabancin ko kuma mataimakin shugaban kasa ba shi da wani roko a gare shi ko kuma yana tunanin Bush ya fi shugaban kasa fiye da Kerry. Ofishin McCain a hukumance ya musanta cewa duk wani tayin mataimakin shugaban kasa ya gudana. A cikin
Taron kasa na Jam'iyyar Republican na 2004, McCain ya goyi bayan Bush don sake zabarsa, yana yabon yadda Bush ke kula da Yakin ta'addanci tun bayan hare-haren 11 ga Satumba. A lokaci guda,