THE WIFE OF REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE John McCain, Cindy Hensley McCain is a native of Arizona and a longtime visitor to San Diego who owns a home on Coronado. She’s the chairman of her family’s business, Hensley & Company, one of the largest Anheuser-Bush distributors in the United States. She’s also a tireless volunteer, advocating for children’s healthcare needs around the globe through HALO, Operation Smile and CARE, USA. Her formal education includes an undergraduate degree in education and a master’s in special education from the University of Southern California. She’s the mother of four children, including an adopted daughter, and three stepchildren from John McCain’s first marriage.
TOM BLAIR: So, you’re one of those folks we San Diegans refer to fondly as Zonies.
CINDY MCCAIN: Well, we take it well.
TB: Probably few San Diegans know about your ties to our city, especially to Coronado, where you spend a lot of leisure time.
CM: Oh, yes, anytime I get a chance to.
TB: You have a home here.
CM: We have a place at Coronado Shores, right next to the Hotel del Coronado.
TB: When did you first start coming to Coronado?
CM: As a child. I think every good Arizonan heads out there when possible. My parents took me to the beach, where we had summer rentals. And I’ve spent a whole lot of time there. And then, three years ago, I had a stroke. That summer, I rented a place and stayed four months to recuperate. And I thought, Yeah, I like this okay, I’m going to buy something. And I did.
TB: And your recovery from the stroke was complete.
CM: Complete, yes. And our kids love the place in Coronado. All of a sudden, I’ve become very popular. But it’s great, because I see more of them now.
TB: It’s got to be a nice respite from the grueling presidential campaign trail. In John McCain’s case, the trail seems to have been years long. How many days out of each month do you see your husband now?
CM: Not many. Two or three, maybe.
TB: And how much campaigning do you do on the road?
CM: A fair amount. But I still have a daughter at home, and my other kids are all doing things there, too. I have to be responsible and able to handle the family issues. So I’m out campaigning, but I come home to Arizona to regroup, then head back out.
TB: The job description for first lady isn’t particularly well-defined.
CM: I don’t think I’ve seen any definition anywhere.
TB: Well, not many Americans would mistake Hillary Clinton’s style for Laura Bush’s style. How do you perceive yourself as first lady——more Hillary or more Laura?
CM: I think I perceive myself as just Cindy McCain. If I were so lucky to find myself in that position . . . as you know, I’m very involved in a lot of nonprofits, I volunteer overseas and do work there, and I would continue that. I’d also continue to get others involved, not only worldwide but on a local level.
TB: But not much politics.
CM: No. No, no, no. I’ve never been a political person. I would not attend cabinet meetings; I would not be a part of that process. That’s my husband’s job. But what I do is just as important.
It’s just different.
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