Summary
Once seen as a more moderate Republican House member, Martha McSally tied herself closely to Trump in 2018 but lost her race against Sinema by a razor-thin margin. Since she was appointed by Arizona’s Republican governor to fill McCain’s seat in 2018, her favorability ratings with voters don’t look great.
Mark Kelly has the financial resources to get his name out there; he has been raising gobs of cash to compete in the general election. He raised $11 million in the first quarter of 2020 and has more than $19 million cash on hand, compared to about $10 million for McSally. That money will become especially important as the coronavirus forces candidates to wage a campaign on voters’ screens in lieu of in-person events. Note: Mark Kelly, will not the Democrats candidate until after August 4 primary.
What are the odds? Cook Political Report rates this a toss-up. Sabato’s Crystal Ball rates it Lean Democratic.
Vox by Elle Nielsen on June 11, 2020
OnAir Post: Arizona – US Senate 2020 Election
News
Arizona Daily Star , – November 4, 2020
Arizona is poised to send two Democrats to the U.S. Senate for the first time in 67 years.
At just before 1 a.m. Wednesday morning, the Associated Press declared former combat pilot and astronaut Mark Kelly as the winner over incumbent Republican Sen. Martha McSally in the race to finish the final term of the late John McCain.
Kelly was leading with 53.4% of the more than 2.6 million votes counted when AP called the race, according to the Arizona Secretary of State’s website.
The fundraising numbers reported shattered previous records for both candidates
Arizona Democrat Mark Kelly says his campaign raised nearly $39 million during the third quarter, while Republican Sen. Martha McSally reports raising almost $23 million.
The numbers reported Thursday shattered prior records for both candidates and were among the largest quarterly hauls ever reported.
Senate candidates, particularly Democrats, saw a surge in donations following the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s pledge to confirm President Trump’s nomination for a replacement.
Reuters, – October 14, 2020
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kelly pulled further ahead of Arizona Republican incumbent Martha McSally, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed on Wednesday, ratcheting up the risk to Republicans of losing control of the Senate in the Nov. 3 elections.
There are about 12 competitive U.S. Senate races this year, 10 with vulnerable Republican incumbents and two with vulnerable Democrats. To have a majority in the Senate, Democrats need to pick up three seats if the party wins the White House, which gives the vice president a tie-breaking vote, and four if not.
ARIZONA (Oct. 7-14 poll)
* Voting for Democratic challenger and former astronaut Mark Kelly: 52%
* Voting for Republican Senator Martha McSally: 41%
* Kelly was up 51%-41% in the prior poll.
Arizona Public Media – October 9, 2020 (28:00)
The Arizona Republic – October 6, 2020 (01:55:49)
When pressed over and over again, Republican Sen. Martha McSally of Arizona would not say on Tuesday whether she was proud of her support of President Donald Trump in her debate against Democratic opponent Mark Kelly.
“I’m proud that I’m fighting for Arizonans on things like cutting your taxes,” McSally said. “I’m proud to be fighting for Arizona every single day,” she later added.
`The response was simpler for Kelly, who called the President’s overall behavior and actions in office “not acceptable.”
Inside Climate News, – September 18, 2020
Both candidates are former combat pilots and neither favors the Green New Deal. But Democrat Kelly is edging out GOP incumbent McSally.
Republican incumbent Sen. Martha McSally hasn’t been talking much about climate change and the environment in her 2020 campaign fight against Democratic challenger, Mark Kelly. But the race has been getting a lot of attention nationally because, if Kelly wins, Democrats will be making a significant stride toward flipping control of the Senate and making climate change a national priority.
McSally, the first woman to pilot an American warplane into combat, serves on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. But her efforts on environmental issues have been low profile. Instead, she focuses on Trump administration priorities like health care, the military and border issues.
MSNBC, – September 18, 2020 (03:28)
The Republicans could lose not only their presidential electors, but its U.S. Senate seat and state legislature.
Arizona is not only the birthplace of Goldwater libertarianism, it’s a giant retirement home for relatively well-to-do white transplants. The large Latinx population has created a dynamic where, to assure a monopoly on power, whites have tended to vote as a group. It seldom elects Democrats to statewide office and has only voted for a Democrat for president once since 1948. Yet, it’s still trending blue.
As Igor Derysh explains at Salon, the Democrats have been dreaming about carrying Arizona in a presidential race since 2004, but so far it has been reminiscent of Charlie Brown’s efforts to kick a football. This could be the year that the Dems carry Arizona and its many down-ballot offices.
Martha McSally
Current Position: US Senator
Affiliation: Republican
Candidate: 2020 US Senator
Before she was sworn in as a U.S. Senator in January 2019, Martha previously represented Arizona’s second congressional district for four years in the United States House of Representatives. Martha serves on the following Senate Committees: Armed Services; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Energy and Natural Resources; Indian Affairs; and the Special Committee on Aging.
For more information about Martha McSally, see her post.
Mark Kelly
Affiliation: Democrat
Candidate: 2020 US Senator
Former Position(s): Retired U.S. Navy combat pilot, engineer, and NASA astronaut
I’m running for the United States Senate because Washington is broken and Arizonans deserve independent leadership focused on solving the problems we face.
Washington isn’t addressing these big problems in a way that helps working people in Arizona. Partisanship keeps politicians from finding solutions, and all of the money in our political system keeps politicians from being accountable to the people they’re supposed to represent.
I never expected to be here. Gabby was always the member of Congress in the family, and the person who taught me everything I know about how to use policy to improve people’s lives. I bring a different set of experiences to the table than most in Washington. Seeing the challenges that we face as a state and a country, I know I can put these experiences to use to make a difference in the lives of people here in Arizona.
For more information, see this Mark Kelly post.
Issues
Civil Rights
Martha McSally
N/A
Mark Kelly
Women’s Rights
From his mom, one of the first women to become a police officer in West Orange New Jersey, to his wife, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, to his two daughters, Claudia and Claire, Mark Kelly is surrounded by strong women who’ve fought for equality and opportunity. Mark supports the kinds of policies that empower women to achieve great things, plan and support their families while thriving in the workplace, and give women the opportunity to fight for themselves, in the workplace and beyond.
Mark supports every woman’s right to choose how and when to start her family. He’ll reject efforts to make it harder for women to access vital health care services, whether reproductive health care for themselves or critical programs like CHIP and WIC that help women and children stay healthy. And as a spouse who had to balance work and caring for an injured family member after his wife Gabby was shot, Mark knows that everyone in this country deserves a decent paid family leave policy — and that doesn’t mean telling folks to borrow against their own savings and then work longer and longer.
Mark knows that if we remove barriers to women’s success, our economy will benefit. Equal pay is a justice and family issue, and women of color are more likely to be subject to wage discrimination. Most families rely on two-incomes, and Mark committed to eradicating the wage gap between men and women, and doing more to ensure that women are treated fairly – and paid a living wage.
Economy
Martha McSally
N/A
Mark Kelly
Mark is the son of two police officers and the product of a working-class family and public schools. Mark’s parents taught him how to set and reach really hard goals. Those lessons are what gave him the foundation to enter military service and become a combat pilot, engineer, and astronaut.
Mark believes a strong economy is built from the ground up, giving every Arizonan the opportunity to succeed and achieve their American dream. But for many Arizona families today, job opportunities and wages are not keeping up with the rising costs of healthcare, prescription drugs, education, housing, and retirement. Instead of standing up for the middle class, Washington has given a tax break to the wealthiest Americans and large corporations.
Mark understands that increasing opportunity in Arizona means supporting economic drivers like trade, tourism, and the military, while also making investments in research and development that benefit the emerging tech and renewable energy sectors. And that in order to prepare Arizonans to fill these jobs of the future, we need to make workforce development more accessible and affordable.
Mark will be a champion for working Arizonans and Arizona’s middle class. Mark supports:
- Ending the tax breaks for the super wealthy and big corporations that are exploding the national debt while not benefiting working and middle class Arizonans.
- Investing now in things that will pay off for our country down the road, like infrastructure and research and development.
Education
Martha McSally
N/A
Mark Kelly
Mark is the product of public education, from elementary school through the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. And as an engineer and astronaut, Mark knows that every goal we have — fixing our healthcare system, protecting our climate and our Earth, and growing our economy for everyone — starts with a great education for every American, one that prepares them for great jobs today, and in the future.
That means starting young – expanding access to quality early childhood education for everyone. That means a K-12 education system that treats teachers like valued professionals, paying them a decent wage and giving them the tools they need – materials, resources, and support to grow in the profession — to succeed.
In Arizona we have seen teachers across the state stand up and demand change. Mark is proud to stand with teachers as they fight for higher pay and more funding. It also means ensuring all students have access to STEM classes and advanced placement classes.
Because whether you go on to college, to get a trade certificate, or directly to a job that pays a living wage, your education should prepare you to thrive in a rapidly-changing economy. All our kids, regardless of the path they take, need some post-secondary training to compete in a 21st Century economy. Right now, there are 5.9 million job openings in the country, many of which cannot be filled for lack of trained, qualified workers. We need to invest more in career training, apprenticeship programs and work to streamline professional certification.
Environment
Martha McSally
N/A
Mark Kelly
Climate Change and Environment
Left unchecked, climate change poses a threat to Arizona’s economy and our way of life. In 2018, Phoenix had 128 day over 100 degrees. A warming climate means twice as many days over 100 degrees in Phoenix, which endangers Arizona’s economy. Longer and more severe droughts will also restrict Arizona’s access to clean water and pose increased public health risks.
As one of the nation’s leading producers of renewable energy, this is also an opportunity for Arizona. The sector already employs 10,500 people in the state. We can triple that number, but only by making massive investments in research and development of technologies that make renewable energy more competitive and accelerate the transition to a renewable economy. The only thing stopping us is irresponsible leadership in Washington.
Health Care
Martha McSally
N/A
Mark Kelly
As a cancer survivor and the husband of Gabby Giffords, who was nearly killed in a shooting and owes her life to quality medical care, Mark has a deep appreciation for the importance of health care and coverage that you can rely on. Mark knows that he and Gabby were fortunate to have good insurance that covered the lifesaving care they needed, but that many Arizona families lack affordable health coverage.
Mark believes health care is a right. Every Arizonan should have quality health care that covers them if they get sick or need a specialist. 2.8 million Arizonans have a pre-existing condition, and none of them should lose their health insurance or be unable to attain insurance in the first place because of their pre-existing condition.
Even with reforms made to expand health care access, too many Arizonans lack coverage or are paying more out of pocket for doctor visits, deductibles, and especially prescription drugs. Mark will work to fix what is broken with our healthcare system by providing more options and competition to reduce costs. And all of that starts with ending partisan attacks that have driven up costs and threatened to take away coverage from more than 400,000 Arizonans who get their insurance through the expansion of Medicaid, known as AHCCCS, in Arizona.
Immigration
Martha McSally
N/A
Mark Kelly
Border Security and Immigration
Like most of our neighbors in Arizona, Mark believes that we need a strong, secure border and to fix our broken immigration system. There is no other issue where the state of Arizona has suffered more due to the dysfunction in Washington. While Washington argues the politics, we deal with the consequences.
Mark believes that any system starts with strong border security; this includes more investments in technology, well staffed ports of entry and border patrol agents on the border, and, where effective, physical barriers and fencing.
Improving programs like E-Verify will prevent big corporations from exploiting migrant labor and undercutting American wages. Some of Arizona’s ports of entry are literally crumbling, and desperately need infrastructure improvements.
This will make border crossings more secure from drug and other types of trafficking, while improving the trade that creates jobs in Arizona.
Safety
Martha McSally
N/A
Mark Kelly
Mark is a gun owner and a combat veteran, the husband of Gabby Giffords who was nearly killed in a shooting, and an advocate for commonsense, effective gun laws. Mark understands that a commitment to our rights and traditions is in no way incompatible with working to keep us safe from gun violence.
Arizona families regularly experience the tragedy of gun violence. Every year, the state sees an average of 244 gun homicides, 669 firearms suicides, 582 nonfatal shootings, and 553 accidental shootings.
Mark and Gabby co-founded Giffords, one of the nation’s leading gun safety organizations that brings together families, gun owners, veterans, law enforcement, and others to advocate for stronger gun safety laws that save lives.
Mark will stand up to the gun lobby and fight to protect Arizona kids and communities from gun violence. He will keep kids and communities safer by working to pass universal background checks, to keep guns out of the hands of stalkers and domestic abusers, and reduce mass shootings and suicides by allowing families and law enforcement to ensure dangerous individuals and people in crisis don’t have access to firearms.
Social Security
Martha McSally
N/A
Mark Kelly
Veterans
Martha McSally
N/A
Mark Kelly
Arizona is home to seven military bases, and there are more than a half million Arizonans who have served in the military. As a Navy combat veteran, it’s important to Mark that our country keeps its promises to our veterans and delivers the care and benefits they have earned through their service.
There is an urgent need for improvement. Nearly 900 veterans go to sleep homeless every night in Arizona. And more than 200 veterans commit suicide in Arizona every year, one of the highest rates in the country. Not to mention the continued accountability and wait time issues at the Phoenix and Tucson VAs.
From the G.I. Bill to the VA, Mark understands we need veterans services to work for our changing veteran population. That includes aging and injured veterans who need prompt, quality health care, and young veterans who need mental health care or are looking to translate the skills they learned from their service into a good-paying job.
There needs to be an increased culture of accountability at the VA: a focus on each individual veteran, not the paperwork. Every veteran has taken risks and made sacrifices in service to our country, and Mark won’t rest until they get what they have earned.
