In U.S. Congress, Ariz. goes from the main event to the undercard

In boxing, when a fighter goes toe-to-toe with a heavier opponent and manages to stay on his feet, fans outside the ring credit the lighter boxer with “punching above his weight.” Arizona has been like that, politically. Almost from the moment we were admitted to the union, Arizona has been punching above its weight.

That’s about to change, because there is no longer an elected official in Arizona who is capable of absorbing the kind of body blows that are thrown in Washington, D.C. And, more importantly, no one who can land a knockout punch.

Our last great political prizefighter was John McCain — operating much of his career between welterweight and middleweight, but taking on the big boys. Outlasting them, much of the time. He was the best of his generation, pound for pound. Sen. Jeff Flake has thrown a few haymakers lately, but they’ve been glancing blows, and he took a dive on his way out of the ring. Once he’s gone, there’s no one.

It’s going to be a shock. For the last 50 to 100 years, our undersized, underpopulated state has sent representatives to Congress who have taken on the heavyweights. Before McCain, there was Barry Goldwater. Going back over the decades, Arizona had Sens. Paul Fannin, Carl Hayden and Ernest McFarland. There were longtime Reps. John Rhodes and Mo Udall.

These were politicians who were unafraid to spar with the big boys and eventually earned a reputation for being heavy hitters who weren’t to be messed with, even while coming from a very young state with a small population way out in the desert Southwest. What’s happening now is what happens when a contending pro sports team loses its best players to contract problems or trades or retirement.

If you’re a fan — and optimistic — you’ll tell yourself this gives the team’s younger players a chance to prove themselves. See what they’ve got. But that requires having a deep bench. And that doesn’t describe Arizona’s congressional delegation ... at all.

Most of our lineup is comprised of marginal players, many of them with loyalties to political parties that far exceed loyalty to the state or the country. Toadies. Sycophants. Doormats. Or, like recently named Sen. Jon Kyl, placeholders. Overall, it’s a bunch of slow-footed, weak-swinging pugs with glass jaws.

During his day, Goldwater overlapped with previous Arizona powerhouses. McCain overlapped with Goldwater. They kept an Arizona politician in the ring for just about every main event for generations.

We’re soon to be relegated to the undercard. How long we stay there is anyone’s guess. We’re stuck for now with a bunch of political club fighters, none capable of stepping into the ring against a championship-caliber politician.

McCain’s funeral offered some hope. Eulogies by McCain’s friend and former chief of staff Grant Woods and by his daughter Meghan were crafty, tough and full of heavyweight power.

Woods is considering getting back into the fight game. He’s more than ready. And Meghan McCain is the kind of up-and-comer who clearly can punch above her weight. But it’s not a friendly arena. Unlike boxing, with its Marquess of Queensberry Rules, politicians don’t strap on padded gloves when they enter the ring.

They take them off. And fight bare-knuckled.