WASHINGTON (AP)—Presidential challenger John McCain said July 27 that he supports a proposed ballot initiative in his home state that would prohibit affirmative action policies from state and local governments. A decade ago, he called a similar effort “divisive.”

The reversal comes as McCain, a conservative senator from Arizona, seeks to tailor his policies and rhetoric to independent-minded voters who will determine the outcome of November election.

Both McCain and Democratic rival Barack Obama have accused each other—with good reason—of “flip-flopping,” a charge that carries weight with independents who seek consistency and authenticity in their political leaders.

McCain was asked specifically Sunday whether he supported an effort to get a referendum on the ballot in Arizona that would “do away with affirmative action.”

“Yes, I do,” said McCain in an interview broadcast Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”

The Republican senator quickly added that he had not seen the details of the proposal. “But I’ve always opposed quotas.”