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PHOENIX — A Phoenix-area Republican legislator called on Sen. John McCain to resign from his seat Tuesday if he continues to miss votes while campaigning for president.

State Rep. Russell Pearce of Mesa also said he regrets supporting Sen. Jon Kyl during last year's election because the senator now supports a comprehensive immigration bill — though he stopped short of calling for Kyl's resignation.

"It's about time we start cleaning house if that's what it takes," said Pearce, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

According to the Washington Post, McCain has missed 43 votes, nearly 50 percent of the current Congress' votes. In comparison, Hillary Clinton has missed less than 2 percent of votes and Barack Obama has missed 6.4 percent, according to the Post.

"We need a senator," Pearce said. "I think if McCain wants to be a full-time candidate and not be at the Senate, he ought to consider resigning."

Pearce's comments, made to reporters on the lawn of the state Capitol, come a day after state GOP Chairman Randy Pullen said Republicans are tearing up their registration cards in frustration over a compromise bill on immigration that Kyl helped produce.

But Pearce said he wasn't raising the issue of McCain's voting record because of the current immigration debate, on which he disagrees with McCain.

"This is about representing Arizona properly," said Pearce, who said he has not communicated his displeasure to McCain or his staff.

Eileen McMenamin, a spokeswoman for McCain, said the senator's absence has not impacted legislation and he is still representing his constituents.

"Although he has missed a few votes, he works really hard to ensure that he has not missed any votes in which his vote would have been the determining one," she said.

McCain doesn't have any plans of doing so, but if he were to resign, his seat would be filled by Gov. Janet Napolitano — a Democrat who would need to appoint a Republican.

Asked if he would prefer a Napolitano appointee over McCain, Pearce said: "Even poor representation is better than no representation."

"You look at the others who are running, even on the Dem-ocratic side, and they've done what's right," said Pearce, who has not endorsed any candidate.

Regarding Kyl's support for the immigration bill, Pearce said the conservative senator should be "fired from that job" if he votes for the immigration compromise, which includes a path to citizenship.

"He promised us he wouldn't do that, so to side with Ted Kennedy on this issue is a slap in the face to everyone who stood up and fought and supported him."

Kyl addressed that concern Monday on the floor of the Senate, stating that "in a body of 100 senators that are supposed to try to work together to find solutions to problems, do you not at least acknowledge that every now and then you have to sit down and talk to each other, even when you're on the other side of the aisle?"

The press conference was publicized by the staff in the Arizona House of Representatives.

Asked if that constituted an improper use of state funds for political purposes, Speaker Jim Weiers, R-Phoenix, said he didn't think so.

Weiers wouldn't take a position on whether it was wrong for McCain to miss votes, saying: "I think he's done a great job for the state ... ."