McCain’s daughter pays a visit to promote her book

GLENDALE — The presidential campaign trail once again included Glendale and Burbank on Monday when Meghan McCain, daughter of Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, visited the region during a multi-city tour for her recently released children’s book, “My Dad, John McCain.”

Meghan McCain’s whirlwind swing through Southern California started with an 11 a.m. book reading and signing in front of about 50 friendly revelers at the Barnes & Noble in the Americana at Brand, continued with an afternoon session with California Republican Party officials in Burbank, an address to college Republicans at USC and ended with a Larry King interview on CNN. She is slated to appear Wednesday on the “Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”

“It’s exhausting,” said Meghan McCain, 23, of the extensive campaign trail and book signing that included stops in New York, Washington, D.C. and Minneapolis. “I drink a lot of Red Bull and Diet Coke.”

The 32-page picture book details John McCain’s rise from Navy pilot and prisoner of war to his political journey from congressman to U.S. senator and presidential candidate. It includes experiences with voters in New Hampshire and personal anecdotes from the campaign trail.

“This was a labor of love for me,” she said of the book, which debuted Sept. 2. “All these personal elements, that’s what this election is about.”

The book, which includes illustrations from artist Dan Andreasen, is one of three biographies aimed at children released this campaign season from publisher Simon & Schuster to focus on a major presidential candidate. The others are “Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope” by Nikki Grimes and Bryan Collier, and “Hillary Rodham Clinton: Dreams Taking Flight,” by Kathleen Krull and Amy June Bates, both of which were unveiled Aug. 26 to coincide with the start of the Democratic National Convention.

Obama’s and Clinton’s biographies have been a boon for Simon & Schuster, with “Son of Promise” reaching the second spot on the New York Times Best Seller list, said Paul Crichton, director of publicity of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.

Sales of “My Dad, John McCain” shot up 116% last week at Barnes & Noble nationwide after interviews on National Public Radio, Fox News Radio and the “Today” show helped publicize the biography, he said.

Meghan McCain’s visit to the region Monday came three weeks after her father landed his “Straight Talk Express” at Burbank’s Bob Hope Airport en route to a Beverly Hills fundraiser and a spot on Jay Leno’s program. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama also stopped in Los Angeles on Monday for a fundraiser between campaign stops in the Midwest.

In Burbank, Meghan McCain visited the California Republican Party headquarters on Olive Avenue where she met with about 50 volunteers and party officials who had spent the morning calling prospective voters.

“It was great; she’s real sweet,” said Jane Barnet, the Republican candidate for the state Assembly in the 43rd District. “She was very excited to see Californians working hard.”