While Arizona’s senior senator is skipping the Republican convention, his chief challenger for the Republican nomination this summer has made the trip to Ohio.

Former State Sen. Kelli Ward is making the media rounds this week in Cleveland trying to gain traction in her bid to unseat him in the August 30 primary.

Ward called on Trump supporters to back her candidacy as well.

"They want something different," Ward said. "The people who want Donald Trump to be our next president, very, very few of them want John McCain to stay in office.”

Ward criticized McCain for failing to represent the state as its senior senator at the convention.

The former Lake Havasu lawmaker admitted she is surprised McCain has received recent high profile endorsements from current Gov. Doug Ducey and former Gov. Jan Brewer.