Arizona Senate Race: Martha McSally

August 20, 2020

Even in a legislative body filled with accomplished people, Martha McSally stands out as someone extraordinary. During a 26-year career in the US Air Force, she was a trail-blazer - the first woman to fly in combat and the first to command a fighter squadron. She first came to national attention when she successfully challenged a military policy that required women serving in Saudi Arabia to wear body-concealing Muslim garb when travelling off base.

Not long after retiring with the rank of colonel, Martha jumped into the political fray, winning election to the House of Representatives from southern Arizona. After Senator John McCain's death, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey tapped Martha to fill the vacant seat. This year, she is in a special election to determine who will serve the last two years of the term.

The Democratic candidate is Mark Kelly, a former astronaut who is married to former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. And while McSally's campaign fundraising has surpassed all previous state records, Kelly has raised even more.

So far, Kelly has avoided tough scrutiny, but in the critical upcoming weeks, McSally's team is going to aggressively make the case that Kelly' s liberal positions and business ties to Communist China are wrong for Arizona. Martha McSally is a strong defender of Israel and a great friend of the RJC. Mark Kelly is endorsed by J Street and opposed President Donald Trump'swithdrawal from the Obama Iran deal.

Bottom line on this race: Democrats cannot win the majority in the Senate without flipping this seat. It will be a tough fight, but we have every reason to stand with Martha McSally, as she has stood with us.

 

The RJC PAC has endorsed Martha McSally. You can help her win by clicking here to support her campaign.

Please watch this space for more in-depth analysis on individual races in the critical 2020 elections. If you’d like to share your thoughts with me on any of these races, please email me at [email protected]. Click here to see previous "Notes from Norm."