A new OH Predictive Insights poll in Arizona shows Mark Kelly (D) leading Sen. Martha McSally (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 46% to 41%.
Key finding: “McSally has fallen behind, the poll suggests, as President Trump’s standing takes a hit in Arizona. Just 47% of likely voters in the state approve of Trump’s job performance, down from 50% in May and 54% in October.”
“Federal appeals-court judges have agreed to decide whether Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) can continue to serve until the 2020 election without having been elected to her seat by voters,” the Arizona Republic reports.
“In December 2018, McSally was appointed by Gov. Doug Ducey (R) to fill the Senate seat vacated by the Aug. 25, 2018, death of veteran Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). Now, McSally and Ducey are defendants in a lawsuit filed by a small group of Arizona voters from across the political spectrum that claims it’s unconstitutional for McSally to serve as senator for 27 months without being elected.”
The Arizona Republic leads with a story on how Sen. Kirsten Sinema sidesteps “chaos and drama.”
“In her first 6 months, Arizona senator is living up to her centrist reputation.”
“Arizona Republican Chairwoman Kelli Ward said she wishes GOP elected officials, specifically Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ), ‘would just be quiet’ when they disagree with President Trump,” according to audio obtained by Phoenix New Times.
“Ward’s criticism of McSally highlights the delicate balance faced by Arizona Republicans who hope to maintain support among Trump’s base as well as the moderate wing of the party.”
Mark Kelly (D), the retired astronaut who is hoping to unseat Sen. Martha McSally (R) in Arizona’s 2020 Senate race, raised $4.2 million during April, May and June, exceeding his first-quarter fundraising, the Arizona Republic reports.
Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) “has grown fearful of a 2020 primary challenge in recent days, kicking off a flurry of efforts to protect her at the highest levels of the Republican Party,” Politico reports.
“In a series of conversations with senior Republicans including President Trump, the senator has raised alarms about Daniel McCarthy, a skincare company executive who helped bankroll Trump’s 2016 campaign. McSally, who was appointed to her seat in early 2019 after losing a 2018 Senate race, faces a treacherous special election next year in a state that’s growing increasingly friendly to Democrats, and Republicans worry that a primary fight will further complicate her prospects.”
“Republicans are promising to do everything they can to obliterate Roy Moore in the Alabama Senate primary,” Politico reports.
“A push is underway to get President Donald Trump involved in derailing Moore. Republicans are actively moving to recruit Jeff Sessions to run for his old seat. And GOP leaders are warning the party will jeopardize perhaps its only chance at picking up a Senate seat next year if they let Democrat Doug Jones get his favored match-up.”
Said Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ): “Give me a break. This place has enough creepy old men.”
A new OH Predictive Insights poll in Arizona shows Sen. Martha McSally (R) just ahead of challenger Mark Kelly (D), 45% to 44%.
Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) will not run for the U.S. Senate in 2020’s special election, he told the Arizona Republic, clearing the path for retired astronaut Mark Kelly (D) to take on incumbent Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) without a potentially bruising primary fight.
“Gallego’s decision will disappoint progressive Democrats, who represent the left flank of the party and are especially hostile toward President Trump.”
A new OH Predictive Insights poll in Arizona finds Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) leading new challenger Mark Kelly (D) by just two points, 46% to 44%.
That edge is well within the poll’s 4 percentage point margin of error.
Mark Kelly, former astronaut and husband to former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ), released a video announcing his campaign to challenge appointed Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) In 2020.
USA Today: “McSally is considered one of the most vulnerable Republican senators heading into the 2020 election. McSally is a former Air Force pilot and was the first woman to fly combat missions.”
Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ), “whose fundraising practices have drawn scrutiny in the past, appears to have accepted more than $270,000 in excessive campaign contributions during the recent midterm campaign,” the AP reports.
“Retired astronaut Mark Kelly is taking steps toward a bid against Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) in 2020, identifying potential staffers and strategists and meeting with Democrats around Arizona — though his allies say no final decision has been made,” The Hill reports.
“Democratic sources said Kelly, the husband of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D), has been calling and meeting with top Democratic activists in Arizona since late last year.”
Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) is recruiting Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), a rising Democratic star in the House, to run for the Arizona Senate seat long held by John McCain, The Hill reports.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) and the GOP are definitely taking a gamble on appointing Rep. Martha McSally (R) to the U.S. Senate, “who will have several challenges to confront as she tries to keep the seat in GOP hands in 2020,” according to First Read:
“Then again, who was going to be a better candidate for Republicans? McSally, after all, is an outgoing GOP congresswoman; her military service made history; and she’s run in plenty of tough races before.”
Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ) will replace retiring Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) to fill for the next two years the Senate seat long held by the late Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republic reports.
Gov. Doug Ducey’s (R) decision to appoint McSally, announced in a statement Tuesday and effective next month, revives her political life less than two months after she narrowly lost the race for the state’s other Senate seat to Kyrsten Sinema (D).
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) will resign from the U.S. Senate on Dec. 31, the Arizona Republic has confirmed, setting up a second appointment by Gov. Doug Ducey (R) to the seat once occupied by the late John McCain.
Ducey is required under law to name another Republican to the seat. A replacement to the Senate seat “will be announced in the near future,” according to the Governor’s Office.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) “has lost enthusiasm for appointing fellow Republican Rep. Martha McSally to the Senate in recent weeks even as Republican leaders in Washington have championed her,” the Washington Post reports.
“Ducey has made no firm decision and McSally, who narrowly lost this year’s Senate race, remains a finalist to fill the seat that John McCain held for decades, should it soon open up as expected. But her stock has fallen in the eyes of the governor, according to two people familiar with his thinking, as Ducey approaches one of the most significant decisions of his political career.”
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
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