Senate Race between Martha McSally and Mark Kelly may foreshadow political change in Arizona

U.S.+Congresswoman+Martha+McSally+speaking+with+supporters+at+the+2018+election+eve+rally+hosted+by+the+Arizona+Republican+Party+at+the+Yavapai+County+Courthouse+in+Prescott%2C+Arizona.

Gage Skidmore (Flickr)

U.S. Congresswoman Martha McSally speaking with supporters at the 2018 election eve rally hosted by the Arizona Republican Party at the Yavapai County Courthouse in Prescott, Arizona.

Ivana Venema-Nunez, Reporter

Arizona is considered a swing state for the general elections in November and Sen. Martha McSally is running against Democrat Mark Kelly in a special election for the honor of serving the remaining two years of John McCain’s  U.S. Senate term.

Sen. Jon Kyl (R) had been temporarily filling the seat following McCain’s death from cancer in August, 2018, but stepped down at the end of that year.  McSally was installed by Gov. Doug Ducey to fill McCain’s seat, at least until it can finally be decided by the voters on Nov. 3.

McSally faces a tough match up against Kelly in the fundraising department.  According to Business Insider, Kelly raised $12.8 million in 2020’s second quarter compared to $9.2 million for McSally.

McSally, a former Air Force pilot and past member of the U.S House of Representatives, has aligned herself with President Trump.  Considering her loss against Sen. Kristen Sinema in the 2018 Senate election, where voters showed increased support for Democrats, Arizona is now a tossup state in the electoral college, according to Business Insider.

Former Navy captain and astronaut, Mark Kelly, announced shortly after McSally took office, that he would challenge her in 2020 as a democrat.

Democrats are considering this US Senate seat particularly important, because it would allow them to regain control of the Senate for the first time since 2015. 

Arizona voters could have a broader impact on the general election by selecting a Democratic candidate for president for the first time since Bill Clinton in 1996 and help deliver on Joe Biden’s policy goals or block President Trump’s second-term agenda, according to Business Insider.

FiveThirtyEight, a tracker of general election polls, shows that Kelly has a 17 point lead over McSally.

Sabato’s Crystal Ball Center for Politics lists Arizona as leaning Democratic.