Despite its position of importance on the national stage from 2007 to 2009, most political observers believe that Miss McCain's ass is not expected to play a significant role in the 2012 election, though they acknowledge that any "October surprise" could indeed involve her buttocks in some capacity. There have been some calls for languishing Republican candidates such as Rick Santorum to resurrect the issue of Meghan McCain's ass in order to energize their base, many of whom historically shared an enthusiasm for McCain's generous badonkadonk.