Oscar Tillman, the head of the Phoenix branch of the NAACP and decades-long leader of Arizona’s black community, says he’s never spoken to or seen Arizona Sen. John McCain.

According to Politico:

John McCain, said Tillman, “has pretty well zero relationship with the African-American community that I know of.”

“I don’t recall him ever attending any function with the NAACP,” Tillman added. “Each year we send them an invitation [to an annual banquet], and each year they say no.”

Interviews with black civic and business leaders in Arizona found no one who suggested that McCain holds racial animus. And McCain can point to some warm personal and political associations with blacks, some of whom cited his responsiveness to their concerns when they approached him on official business.

Arizona civil rights activists, including Tillman, claim that Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, who is also a Republican, is much more responsive to the black community. Tillman said, “Sen. Kyl will get on the phone and call you,” according to Politico.

Other sources in the Politico piece claim McCain has a great relationship with the Arizona black community (see full article here). However, especially in a potential match-up against Sen. Barack Obama, it seems like McCain has much more work to do in terms of brightening his reputation among black voters - even in his own state.