<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mark-kelly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sen. Mark Kelly</a> (D-AZ) refused to back Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kyrsten-sinema" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kyrsten Sinema</a> (I-AZ) over the weekend when asked about her leaving the Democratic Party late last year.
Kelly was asked about Sinema during a Sunday interview on CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union&#8221; with Jake Tapper.
Tapper mentioned how Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) indicated that he believes Sinema needed to be supported because of her &#8220;independent spirit.&#8221;
&#8220;Do you agree with him?&#8221; Tapper asked. &#8220;Or do you anticipate supporting whoever the Democratic nominee for that Senate seat would be?&#8221;
&#8220;Well, I&#8217;m not going to get ahead of Senator Sinema. She hasn&#8217;t made an announcement,&#8221; Kelly responded. &#8220;What she has said is, she doesn&#8217;t want to be focused on politics right now. I have worked with her very closely over the last two years, I mean, really in a very positive way. She&#8217;s very effective in the United States Senate. We have got a lot done. And I look forward to doing that over the next months and the rest of this year.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Arizona Democrat Senator Mark Kelly says nice things about his &quot;independent&quot; fellow Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema — but won&#39;t say if he&#39;ll back her for re-election in 2024. <a href="https://t.co/kSayDDpn4d">pic.twitter.com/kSayDDpn4d</a>
&mdash; RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1637453014993698817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2023</a></blockquote>
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TRANSCRIPT:
<blockquote>JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Lastly, sir, your fellow Arizona Senator, independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema, her term ends in 2024.
Your fellow Democratic Senator Joe Manchin said on the show that &#8212; quote &#8212; &#8220;I would think that she needs to be supported again, yes,&#8221; because of her &#8212; quote &#8212; &#8220;independent spirit&#8221; &#8212; unquote.
Do you agree with him? Or do you anticipate supporting whoever the Democratic nominee for that Senate seat would be?
SEN. MARK KELLY (D-AZ): Well, I&#8217;m not going to get ahead of Senator Sinema. She hasn&#8217;t made an announcement.
What she has said is, she doesn&#8217;t want to be focused on politics right now. I have worked with her very closely over the last two years, I mean, really in a very positive way. She&#8217;s very effective in the United States Senate. We have got a lot done. And I look forward to doing that over the next months and the rest of this year.</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-democratic-advisor-explains-why-sinema-left-party-and-why-it-might-backfire-anyway" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Top Democratic Advisor Explains Why Sinema Left Party, And Why It Might Backfire Anyway</a>

Democratic Senate Candidate Mark Kelly Holds Election Night Event In Tucson

Senator Mark Kelly Does Not Get Behind Senator Kyrsten Sinema When Asked About Re-Election

2024 Election

Arizona

Elections

Kyrsten Sinema

Mark Kelly

Politics

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/twitter">Twitter</a> CEO Elon Musk slammed Scott Kelly, astronaut and the brother of Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) in a tweet Sunday evening after Kelly called out the 51-year-old executive over mocking the use of pronouns.
&#8220;Elon, please don’t mock and promote hate toward already marginalized and at-risk-of-violence members of the #LGBTQ+ community,&#8221; Kelly tweeted. &#8220;They are real people with real feelings. Furthermore, Dr Fauci is a dedicated public servant whose sole motivation was saving lives.&#8221;
Musk responded, &#8220;I strongly disagree. Forcing your pronouns upon others when they didn’t ask, and implicitly ostracizing those who don’t, is neither good nor kind to anyone.&#8221;
&#8220;As for Fauci, he lied to Congress and funded gain-of-function research that killed millions of people,&#8221; Musk added. &#8220;Not awesome imo.&#8221;
Kelly&#8217;s comments were in response to a tweet that Musk posted early Sunday morning, in which he stated, &#8220;My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci,&#8221; an hour after another tweet warning that things were about to “get spicy.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I strongly disagree. Forcing your pronouns upon others when they didn’t ask, and implicitly ostracizing those who don’t, is neither good nor kind to anyone.
As for Fauci, he lied to Congress and funded gain-of-function research that killed millions of people. Not awesome imo.
&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1602113254360162304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Musk’s latest tweets could suggest damning information might soon be revealed about Fauci, the government virologist whose advice set COVID policies — including school lockdowns, economic shutdowns, and mask and vaccine mandates — under two administrations.
Fauci’s defenders have elevated him to god-like status over the last three years, with yard signs saying “In Fauci We Trust” and votive candles bearing his image. But a growing chorus of critics blame the octogenarian head of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and current chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden for blocking investigation into the possibility that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-biden-admin-shut-down-probe-launched-during-trump-era-to-examine-wuhan-lab-leak-theory-report-says/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COVID leaked from a Chinese lab,</a> where his office had funded dangerous bat virus research, as well as his heavy-handed advice to close schools and businesses during the pandemic.
Fauci is scheduled to retire sometime this month, although Republicans in the House and Senate have vowed to investigate his potential role in the pandemic, which has so far killed more than six million people around the world.
Musk also tweeted out this photo of Fauci and Biden:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<a href="https://t.co/yhEOieaGER">pic.twitter.com/yhEOieaGER</a>
&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1601884478745374720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
A previous version of this story incorrectly referred to Scott Kelly as his brother, Mark Kelly. It has been corrected.

Elon Musk and Twitter

Elon Musk Nukes Scott Kelly Over Wokeness And Dr. Fauci

Elon Musk

Gender Identity

Gender Pronouns

Social Issues

U.S.

Sen. Mark <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mark-kelly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kelly</a> (D-AZ) said during an <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/21/mark-kelly-interview-border-bipartisanship-strong-gop/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with the Washington Post that members of his party are &#8220;not even close&#8221; to understanding the problems on the U.S. southern <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/southern-border" target="_blank" rel="noopener">border</a>.
&#8220;Absolutely not. Not even close,&#8221; the incumbent senator said when asked if members of his party understood &#8220;the complexity of the issue and the frustrations that people have.&#8221;
&#8220;When I first got to Washington, it didn’t take me long to realize that there are a lot of Democrats who don’t understand our southern border and a lot of Republicans who just want to talk about it. Don’t necessarily want to do anything about it, just want to use it politically. So my approach has been — to the extent that we could and can — to make progress on securing it, but also doing it in a way that’s in accordance with our ethics and our values, not to demonize people,&#8221; Kelly added.
In the interview published Monday, Kelly advocated a middle-of-the-road approach to border issues, saying he wants to secure the border but not in a way that would &#8220;demonize people.&#8221; He did not elaborate much further on how he would secure the border beyond, &#8220;We have to do more in border security. We have to do more in comprehensive immigration reform, especially &#8216;dreamers,&#8217; but also these visa programs. If you’re a farmer, especially in Southern Arizona, despite having a ready supply of eager workers, you don’t have the visas available and it’s a problem for them.&#8221;
The Department of Homeland Security recently <a href="https://www.fox4news.com/news/gov-greg-abbott-invokes-invasion-clauses-in-border-security-push">reported</a> that nearly 2.4 million immigrants had been detained on the U.S. southern border during the fiscal year ending in September. That number represented a 37% increase from the previous fiscal year. Additionally, Customs and Border Protection <a href="https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/southwest-land-border-encounters">announced</a> over 230,000 encounters with migrants at the southern border during October alone.
Last week, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/federal-judge-blocks-use-of-title-42-to-expel-migrants-at-border">blocked</a> the further use of Title 42, which allows the government to deport migrants from the border in the interest of public health. Title 42 had been activated during the Trump administration to expel migrants entering the country during the COVID pandemic.
Kelly first entered the Senate after defeating Republican candidate Martha McSally in the race for the open Arizona seat previously held by the late John McCain. The senator is <a href="http://dailywire.com/news/breaking-democrat-incumbent-mark-kelly-defeats-republican-blake-masters-in-arizona-senate-race-projection">projected</a> to win his first full term after defeating Republican candidate Blake Masters by almost five points in the recent midterm election.
Compared to many others in the Democratic Party, Kelly has taken a relatively moderate stance on the border. He <a href="https://www.kelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sen-kelly-and-colleagues-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-raise-border-patrol-pay-create-border-patrol-reserve/">teamed</a> up with retiring Republican Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, fellow Democratic Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, and Republican Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford back in August to introduce a bill that would raise Border Patrol agents&#8217; pay as well as create a 2,500-agent border reserve force.
Kelly has also expressed his support for a pathway to citizenship for those protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), also known as &#8220;Dreamers.&#8221;
&#8220;DACA needs to be protected. But it doesn’t change the fact that Congress must act to provide Dreamers with the certainty of a clear pathway to citizenship,&#8221; Kelly <a href="https://twitter.com/senmarkkelly/status/1442561227008393224">tweeted</a> in September 2021.

Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Sen. Mark Kelly Warns Democrats ‘Absolutely’ Do Not Understand Border Issues

Sen. Mark Kelly Warns Democrats 'Absolutely' Do Not Understand Border Issues

Immigration

Democratic incumbent Senator Mark Kelly has been <a href="https://results.decisiondeskhq.com/2022/general/states/Arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declared</a> the winner of the Arizona Senate race, according to Decision Desk, besting Republican candidate Blake Masters, 51.78% to 46.1%.
The winner was projected late Friday evening after a lengthy ballot count in which Masters trailed Kelly consistently.
On Saturday morning, Masters tweeted that “every legal vote” should be counted, indicating that despite the race being called by multiple outlets, he doesn’t view this as the end.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://t.co/XVbq4WU4nj">pic.twitter.com/XVbq4WU4nj</a>
— Blake Masters (@bgmasters) <a href="https://twitter.com/bgmasters/status/1591475417646596109?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2022</a></blockquote>
The battle to represent Arizona in the Senate was a closely watched race, as it was widely seen as a key battleground in determining control of the Senate. Kelly was one of the best funded candidates of the 2022 cycle, having <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/politico-election-forecaster-shifts-az-senate-to-toss-up-after-late-blake-masters-rally" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raised</a> over $70 million over the course of the campaign. Masters’ campaign was hampered in the general by poor fundraising relative to Kelly’s machine.
Kelly led for the majority of his race for re-election despite significant perceived headwinds for Democrats. In 2022, Democrats across the country faced poor approval ratings relative to Republicans in a number of key election issues, such as inflation, crime, and immigration. Democrats were also burdened with an unpopular Democratic president in the White House.
Kelly tried to blunt Republican criticism of him on those topics by running somewhat as a maverick. Kelly <a href="https://www.kelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/news-kelly-rated-among-most-bipartisan-senators-data-reveals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">touted</a> studies that ranked him as one of the most bipartisan lawmakers in the Senate. He also distanced himself from President Joe Biden, never requesting that Biden come to Arizona to campaign with him and demurring when asked about it by reporters.
Polls tightened between Kelly and Masters in the closing weeks of the race. With one week left until election day, the Libertarian candidate in the race, Marc Victor, announced that he was dropping out and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/libertarian-candidate-endorses-blake-masters-in-late-shakeup-of-arizona-senate-race" target="_blank" rel="noopener">endorsed</a> Masters. While Victor never polled high, Masters touted the endorsement as a “major boost” in the close race against Kelly.
While Masters trailed Kelly for most of the race, he closed the gap in October. Election forecasters for outlets such as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/politico-election-forecaster-shifts-az-senate-to-toss-up-after-late-blake-masters-rally" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Politico</a> and <a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/analysis/senate/arizona-senate/arizona-senate-shifts-back-toss" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cook Political Report</a> moved the Arizona Senate race from a Democratic-leaning race to a toss-up in response.
Masters won a competitive primary race largely because of the financial backing of tech mogul Peter Thiel and former President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Masters was running third in the GOP primary behind Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and businessman Jim Lamon until Trump endorsed Masters in early June. Masters then <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2022/senate/az/arizona_senate_republican_primary-7564.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">soared</a> into the top spot until winning the primary in August.
While he projected himself as an “America First” Trump ally in the primary, Masters pivoted in the general to put the spotlight on Kelly. Masters emphasized his conservative stances on immigration and federal spending, while hammering Kelly for voting with Biden <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/biden-congress-votes/mark-kelly/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">95%</a> of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight.
Kelly and Masters debated each other one time during the campaign. During the October 6 event, in which Victor also participated, Masters <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/shows-you-what-his-priorities-are-blake-masters-hits-mark-kelly-for-backing-bidens-irs-buildup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attacked</a> Kelly for his record voting with Biden. Kelly worked to distance himself from the president and claimed that he had secured “$1 billion more” in funding for the U.S. Border Patrol.

Mark Kelly:Blake Masters

Democrat Incumbent Mark Kelly Defeats Republican Blake Masters In Arizona Senate Race: Projection

2022 Midterms

Blake Masters

Republican <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arizona</a> Senate candidate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/blake-masters" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blake Masters</a> has broken into the lead against Democrat Mark Kelly, according to new polls.
A new poll from InsiderAdvantage/Fox 10 News has Masters and Kelly tied. At the same time, the final poll of the cycle from Emerson College showed Masters with a slight lead; another poll from Big Data Poll found another lead for Masters. The polls come amid growing optimism for a Republican wave with just four days to go before the 2022 midterms.
The <a href="https://www.fox10phoenix.com/election/2022-arizona-election-poll-lake-leads-hobbs-in-governors-race-by-3-points-senate-race-tied" target="_blank" rel="noopener">InsiderAdvantage/Fox 10 poll</a> of 550 likely voters, taken on November 2, showed Masters and Kelly tied at 48% apiece. Libertarian candidate Marc Victor, who dropped out of the race and endorsed Masters on November 1, still took 2% of the vote. Another 2% were undecided. InsiderAdvantage pollster Matt Towery told the outlet that Masters garnered support from more voters who identified themselves as independent. But the poll also found Kelly siphoning some 15% of self-identifying Republicans off from Masters.
Meanwhile, an <a href="https://emersoncollegepolling.com/arizona-2022-us-senate-and-gubernatorial-elections-in-dead-heat/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Emerson College poll</a> of 1,000 &#8220;very likely voters,&#8221; conducted from October 30 &#8211; November 1, showed Masters with a slight lead over incumbent Democrat Mark Kelly, 47.8%-47.3%. The poll was taken the day Victor announced he was dropping out; he took 2.8% of the vote. Just under one percent of voters were undecided, 1.3% said they were voting for someone else. Notably, Masters has gained three points since Emerson&#8217;s September poll, while Kelly has stagnated at 47%. Emerson&#8217;s poll found independents voting for Kelly, 50.4%-42.1%, but Masters was not losing as much support from his own party; 9.6% of Republicans said they were voting for Kelly.
Another poll of 1,051 likely voters conducted from October 31 &#8211; November 2 by independent pollster <a href="https://application.marketsight.com/app/ItemView.aspx?SharedFor=public%40bigdatapoll.com&amp;SharedBy=34090&amp;id=cbb3bec7-3bd2-4783-8cc8-af43012f99ec" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Big Data Poll</a> found Masters with a lead of just over a full percentage point over Kelly, 48.7%-47.5%. Victor took 1.9% of the vote, and another 1.9% were undecided. Big Data Poll also found Kelly leading with independents, 47% to 44.2%; but again, Kelly siphoned fewer Republican voters away from Masters, just 8.6%. Big Data Poll Director Richard Baris explained on his podcast, &#8220;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6apHZSo96c&amp;t=1760s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Inside the Numbers</a>,&#8221; that Masters&#8217; lead came from his small lead in Maricopa County, a solid support buffer in Pima County, senior citizens who did not buy Kelly&#8217;s rhetoric on Social Security, and inroads Masters has made with Hispanic voters, despite trailing slightly, 48.8% to 46.9%. He also speculated that Victor dropping out and endorsing Masters could be pivotal, since his supporters would favor Masters. &#8220;It&#8217;s an incredibly close race,&#8221; Baris said.
Victor dropped out and endorsed Masters on November 1. “At my invitation, Blake Masters and I had an unscripted, open, and recorded discussion and exchange of ideas on a variety of issues,&#8221; Victor said in a statement, via the Arizona Republic. &#8220;After that discussion, I believe it is in the best interests of freedom and peace to withdraw my candidacy and enthusiastically support Blake Masters for United States Senate. I intend to assist in any way reasonably possible to elect Blake.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/libertarian-candidate-endorses-blake-masters-in-late-shakeup-of-arizona-senate-race" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Victor</a> consistently polled in the single digits throughout the race and was never believed to have a viable shot at winning. His single digit support could prove crucial for Masters in a close race, however. <a href="https://blog.ohpredictive.com/press-releases/ohpi-poll-of-record-close-races-up-and-down-the-ticket-in-arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ohio Predictive Insights</a> released a poll measuring Victor’s support on Monday, pegging it at 3%. The same poll had Kelly and Masters separated by just 2%: 48% to 46%, respectively.
“This is another major boost of momentum as we consolidate our support,” Masters said in a statement to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/01/us/politics/blake-masters-marc-victor-arizona.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a> on Tuesday.
Tim Pearce contributed to this report.

New Polls Show Republican Blake Masters Breaking Into The Lead Against Democrat Mark Kelly In Final Days Before Midterms

Polls

U.S. Senate

Libertarian candidate Marc Victor dropped out of the U.S. Senate race in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arizona</a> on Tuesday and endorsed his GOP opponent, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/blake-masters" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blake Masters</a>.
The late stage shakeup comes a week before the election and has the potential to swing what has become a close race between Masters and incumbent Democratic Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mark-kelly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Kelly</a>. Masters has trailed Kelly for most of the race but has closed the gap in the past month. Election forecasters for outlets such as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/politico-election-forecaster-shifts-az-senate-to-toss-up-after-late-blake-masters-rally" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Politico</a> and <a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/analysis/senate/arizona-senate/arizona-senate-shifts-back-toss" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cook Political Report</a> have moved the Arizona Senate race from a Democratic-leaning race to a toss-up in response.
Victor consistently polled in the single digits throughout the race and was never believed to have a viable shot at winning. His single digit support could prove crucial for Masters in a close race, however. <a href="https://blog.ohpredictive.com/press-releases/ohpi-poll-of-record-close-races-up-and-down-the-ticket-in-arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ohio Predictive Insights</a> released the latest poll measuring Victor’s support on Monday, pegging it at 3%. The same poll had Kelly and Masters separated by just 2%: 48% to 46%, respectively.
“This is another major boost of momentum as we consolidate our support,” Masters said in a statement to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/01/us/politics/blake-masters-marc-victor-arizona.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a> on Tuesday.
Victor, who campaigned as the “live and let live” candidate, said in video put out Tuesday morning that he made the decision to endorse Masters after having a conversation with the GOP candidate about his support for the “global peace movement.”
“We talked through many, many issues. We talked about a lot of economic issues, we talked about a lot of civil liberty issues. And while we don’t see eye-to-eye on everything, I feel very confident after that conversation that Blake Masters is going to do everything he possibly can to further the interests of the Live and Let Live Global Peace Movement,” Victor said.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Marc J. Victor Endorses Blake Masters for U.S. Senate" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ismjOQNzsIA?start=10&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
While Kelly has led most polls, he, along with numerous Democrats across the country, has faced significant headwinds heading into the midterms. President Joe Biden’s unpopularity with voters and concerns about inflation and crime have created a hostile election environment for Democrats. To compensate, Kelly has <a href="https://www.kelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/news-kelly-rated-among-most-bipartisan-senators-data-reveals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">touted</a> analyses that name him one of the most bipartisan lawmakers in the Senate.
The Masters campaign has been quick to point out that Kelly has voted with Biden 95% of the time over the past two years, according to an analysis of Kelly’s voting record by <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/biden-congress-votes/mark-kelly/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FiveThirtyEight</a>.

Libertarian Candidate Endorses Blake Masters In Late Shakeup Of Arizona Senate Race

2022 Election

Politico elections forecaster Steven Shepard changed the rating of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/u-s-senate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">U.S. Senate</a> race in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arizona</a> to a “toss up” Wednesday, shifting it away from Democrats less than two weeks away from the election.
Republican <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/blake-masters" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blake Masters</a> has surged in recent weeks on a wave of support for GOP priorities such as immigration, inflation, and crime. Masters has also been aided by a strong Republican performance in the Arizona gubernatorial race by former television news anchor Kari Lake, according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/27/arizonas-senate-blake-masters-forecast-00063661" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Politico</a>.
Masters is running to oust Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly. Kelly won his seat in a special election in 2020 and is running to secure his first full term in the Senate. Kelly’s campaign has hammered abortion access following the overturning of Roe v. Wade while distancing the senator from President Joe Biden, who threatens to drag down Democrats with his <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/biden-approval-rating/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unpopularity</a>.
Masters has lagged behind Kelly, but polling now shows him within the margin of error. A Trafalgar/Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hold-exclusive-poll-kari-lake-in-lead-for-arizona-gov-masters-trails-kelly-by-one-point-for-senate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poll</a> last week put the race within one point. It found Masters trailing Kelly 46% to 47%.
Arizona’s Senate race has joined contests in Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in Politico’s “toss up” category. The shift strengthens the GOP’s chances of taking control of the U.S. Senate next year. Republicans must score wins in three of the five “toss up” states to gain the majority if every other race goes with the favored candidate, according to Politico.
Kelly has one of the best-funded campaigns in the U.S. He has <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2022/10/18/mark-kelly-fundraising-dwarfs-blake-masters-senate.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raised</a> well over $70 million for his re-election campaign and had an estimated $13 million on hand at the end of September.
Masters has struggled to raise funds and lagged behind in the money race for the entirety of the campaign. Masters’ largest backer is tech maven Peter Thiel, who backed Masters to the tune of $15 million during the primary. Theil has withheld additional support during the general, though reporting <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/10/13/thiel-masters-mcconnell/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggests</a> that Thiel plans to spend $5 million in Masters’ race in the final weeks.
Masters has received some help in the final stretch from outside groups and political action committees. Saving Arizona PAC, initially backed by Thiel, has <a href="https://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=61984925ded8da8ce9b4817c50926a1d35433d99a0cddde987b3b91eb800dc356ee1c4e35dd6847e120dad6026023689" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spent</a> roughly $3.7 million on ads. It is unclear whether that additional spending is from money Thiel donated.

Politico Election Forecaster Shifts AZ Senate To ‘Toss Up’ After Late Blake Masters Rally

Republicans are close to holding <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arizona</a>’s governor’s seat and potentially flipping a U.S. Senate seat, according to a new Trafalgar Group/Daily Wire poll.
Republican gubernatorial candidate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kari-lake" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kari Lake</a> is ahead of her Democratic opponent, Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, with a lead just inside the poll’s 2.9-point margin of error: 49.2% to 46.4%. Republican <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/blake-masters" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blake Masters</a> at 46.4% is running close behind incumbent Democratic Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mark-kelly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Kelly</a> (47.4%).
The poll consists of responses from 1,078 likely 2022 general election voters taken on October 16-17.
<a href="https://www.thetrafalgargroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/AZ-Gen-1017-Poll-Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ THE LATEST TRAFALGAR/DAILY WIRE POLL ON KEY ARIZONA RACES</a>
<div id="attachment_452181" style="width: 669px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-452181" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class=" wp-image-452181" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/EW_AZ_GOV_Poll-300x169.jpg" alt="Democrat Katie Hobbs is running behind Republican Kari Lake in the race to become Arizona's next governor. (Daily Wire)" width="659" height="371" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/EW_AZ_GOV_Poll-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/EW_AZ_GOV_Poll-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/EW_AZ_GOV_Poll-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/EW_AZ_GOV_Poll-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/EW_AZ_GOV_Poll.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 659px) 100vw, 659px" />Democrat Katie Hobbs is running behind Republican Kari Lake in the race to become Arizona&#8217;s next governor. (Daily Wire)</div>
One of the chief advantages Republicans have in Arizona is President Joe Biden’s unpopularity. Tying Democrats to Biden’s administration, which has struggled to handle a multitude of domestic and global crises, could pay dividends for GOP candidates.
“Most of the undecideds have a negative opinion about how Biden is handling his job as president, 55.9% in the Senate race and 56.9% in Governors race,” Trafalgar founder Robert Cahaly told The Daily Wire.
<div id="attachment_452185" style="width: 663px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-452185" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class=" wp-image-452185" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/EW_AZ_Senate_Poll-300x169.jpg" alt="Incumbent Democrat Mark Kelly is edging out Republican Blake Masters by one point to keep Kelly's seat in the U.S. Senate. (Daily Wire)" width="653" height="368" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/EW_AZ_Senate_Poll-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/EW_AZ_Senate_Poll-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/EW_AZ_Senate_Poll-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/EW_AZ_Senate_Poll-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/EW_AZ_Senate_Poll.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 653px) 100vw, 653px" />Incumbent Democrat Mark Kelly is edging out Republican Blake Masters in Kelly&#8217;s bid for reelection to the U.S. Senate. (Daily Wire)</div>
Lake has a slight <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2022/governor/az/arizona_governor_lake_vs_hobbs-7842.html#polls" target="_blank" rel="noopener">edge</a> over Hobbs in Real Clear Politics average of recent polling. Lake has hammered Hobbs in recent weeks over the Democrat’s refusal to debate Lake head-to-head. The Republican candidate has said Hobbs’ reticence is a sign of cowardice while Hobbs has repeatedly denounced Lake as a “conspiracy theorist.” Hobbs has insisted that Arizona voters are better served by her refusal to debate than facing off against Lake, a former television news anchor and talented on-air presence, one-on-one.
“Arizonans want answers and solutions and they deserve a gubernatorial debate. If Katie Hobbs is too afraid to debate, how can we trust her to make the tough choices. Katie Hobbs is too weak to lead Arizona,” a GOP ad launching in Arizona this week said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
It&#39;s been disastrous headline after disastrous headline for going on nearly 8 weeks as <a href="https://twitter.com/katiehobbs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@katiehobbs</a> refuses to debate <a href="https://twitter.com/KariLake?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KariLake</a>.
And with early voting just beginning in AZ, it&#39;s top of mind for voters.
Watch this new ad hitting AZ airwaves today. <a href="https://t.co/9RfOctCAgd">pic.twitter.com/9RfOctCAgd</a>
&mdash; Will Reinert (@willreinert) <a href="https://twitter.com/willreinert/status/1582058009147998209?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Masters has focused his campaign on Kelly’s voting record with Biden; the two Democrats have agreed with each other 94% of the time over the past two years, according to <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/biden-congress-votes/mark-kelly/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FiveThirtyEight</a>. Kelly has tried to fend off Masters’ attacks by pointing to <a href="https://www.kelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/news-kelly-rated-among-most-bipartisan-senators-data-reveals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">analyses</a> that rank Kelly as one of the most bipartisan senators.
“Two thirds [of independents] know that Biden has failed. They want to send a senator to D.C. to check Joe Biden – only one third want ascend a senator to D.C. to enable Joe Biden,” Masters told The Daily Wire in an interview last month. “Mark Kelly is carpet bombing the airwaves pretending to be an independent. … He&#8217;s not an independent. Actually, he votes in lockstep for Joe Biden&#8217;s agenda.”

Abraham Hamadeh, Kari Lake, Blake Masters

EXCLUSIVE POLL: Kari Lake In Lead For Arizona Gov, Masters Trails Kelly By One Point For Senate

Election Wire

Kari Lake

U.S. Senate candidate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/blake-masters" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blake Masters</a>, a Republican running in Arizona, slammed his opponent, Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mark-kelly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Kelly</a> (D-AZ), during an interview this week for the state of deterioration that the U.S. is in, saying that &#8220;Mark Kelly [is what] happened.&#8221;
Masters made the remark during an interview with Fox News host Harris Faulkner Wednesday afternoon where he touched on a wide range of issues.
&#8220;Just two years ago, we had a secure border, and crime was under control, and prices were low, people could actually afford to live,&#8221; Masters said. &#8220;Fast-forward two years, we have a wide-open southern border, crime is going through the roof in Arizona and all throughout America. And the cost of everything you need to live just keeps going up, and up, and up.&#8221;
&#8220;And so it&#8217;s like, what happened? Well, Joe Biden happened. Mark Kelly happened,&#8221; Masters continued. &#8220;They&#8217;re joined at the hip. Mark Kelly supports Joe Biden&#8217;s agenda in lockstep. And just look around, everything&#8217;s on fire. It has failed. And people here in Arizona are pissed off. They are more than ready to make a change in November.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Big Senate race in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/arizona?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#arizona</a> — Republican candidate Blake Masters <a href="https://twitter.com/bgmasters?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@bgmasters</a> going big against his opponent: “Crime is going through the roof… what happened? Well, Joe Biden happened. Mark Kelly happened there. Joined at the hip.” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/midterms2022?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#midterms2022</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/thefaulknerfocus?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#thefaulknerfocus</a> <a href="https://t.co/fbPGuD9Mbo">pic.twitter.com/fbPGuD9Mbo</a>
&mdash; The Faulkner Focus (@FaulknerFocus) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaulknerFocus/status/1580343402734170113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
TRANSCRIPT PROVIDED VIA FOX NEWS:
<blockquote>HARRIS FAULKNER, FOX NEWS HOST: Well, Republican Blake Masters is challenging Democrat incumbent Mark Kelly. They had quite a spirited debate just last week. The midterms, 27 days away now and Fox News Power Rankings show control of the Senate is too close to call as we project this out.
There are four toss-up races that it will all come down to. One of them is Arizona, a contest that hinges on crime, abortion and illegal immigration. Blake Masters, Republican candidate in that race, is in focus now.
So talk to me, if you will, just looking back and then forward, what were the contention points? What separates you from the Democrat in the race?
BLAKE MASTERS (R), ARIZONA SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Well, just look at how Mark Kelly&#8217;s been voting. He&#8217;s been voting as a rubber stamp for Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden&#8217;s failed agenda.
You know, Harris, just two years ago we had a secure border, and crime was under control and prices were low, people could actually afford to live.
Fast-forward two years, we have a wide-open southern border, crime is going through the roof in Arizona and all throughout America. And the cost of everything you need to live just keeps going up, and up and up.
And so it&#8217;s like, what happened? Well, Joe Biden happened. Mark Kelley happened. They&#8217;re joined at the hip. Mark Kelly supports Joe Biden&#8217;s agenda in lockstep. And just look around, everything&#8217;s on fire. It has failed.
And people here in Arizona are pissed off. They are more than ready to make a change in November.
FAULKNER: You&#8217;re out there talking with voters right now, and are any of them talking about the fentanyl that’s coming across the border in Arizona? You&#8217;ve got human smuggling that has been going on at a fierce pitch in Texas.
And now you&#8217;re getting some of that, too. What are some of the answers that people are seeking?
MASTERS: It is absolutely heartbreaking to be on the campaign trail and &#8212; this has happened two or three times now, I&#8217;ve run into someone who’s child has died from fentanyl. And there &#8212; I mean, there are just no words. You know, I’ve stopped using the term &#8220;overdose&#8221; to talk about these kind of deaths because what they really are, Harris, are poisonings.
China is sending the predicate chemicals over to be compounded up in these Mexican drug cartels factories that ship this poison north through our wide-open southern border.
And apparently, Joe Biden and Mark Kelly like it this way because they haven’t done a darn thing to stop it. I actually think Senator Kelly should have to attend some of the funerals, right. That would give him a better understanding of the consequences of his support for Joe Biden’s open borders.
I am sick of this problem. We’re losing 2,000 Arizonans every single year, mostly teenagers, and it’s just got to stop. And it will stop when we take back the U.S. Senate.
FAULKNER: All right. I don&#8217;t know if he has done any of that, but certainly if his district would have any of those victims&#8217; families, you would hope that he would attend. So I would have to do some homework to figure out if that’s happened.
A big day for you yesterday. This happened. Let’s watch together.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE PENCE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Arizona and America need Blake Masters in a Republican majority in the United States Senate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FAULKNER: And you also have the endorsement of former President Trump. I, first of all, just want to get your response to the help that you&#8217;re getting and why it’s so necessary at this point. How tight is that race?
MASTERS: Oh, it’s super tight. You know, a lot of people wanted to write this race off in August. And no, we’ve just kept working. We’re outworking our opponent.
We had a great performance in the debate last week. I think Mark Kelly struggled to defend his record, which is no surprise because his record is indefensible.
But we need all Republicans on deck. This race is winnable. It’s neck and neck here in Arizona, and I could take all the support we can get. So we’re going to win this race, and I’m &#8212; I&#8217;ve never been more sure of it than I am today.
FAULKNER: I want to ask you about something. And you know, I&#8217;ve done my homework on what it looks like &#8212; and maybe &#8212; I don&#8217;t even know if you know this, but 60 percent of the country will see somebody on a ballot somewhere who believes that 2020&#8217;s election was not fair and that Joe Biden actually &#8212; this is according to the Poynter Institute for Media Studies &#8212; and that Joe Biden is not the legitimate winner of the 2020 election. 70 percent of people polled are saying that, Quinnipiac, &#8220;Washington Post.&#8221;
So with that as a backdrop, I know at one point your website had featured this statement, “If we had a free and fair election, President Trump would be sitting in the Oval Office today.”
That comment no longer sits on your website. Why not?
MASTERS: Well, I still believe it. That’s for sure.
And like I said in my debate last week, I think if everyone followed the law President Trump would be in the Oval Office. Look at how the FBI pressured Facebook and other big tech companies to censor true information about Hunter Biden’s very serious crimes in the weeks before the election. So millions of people didn’t get to read about it.
And then the media said, oh, well that’s OK. That’s just Russian disinformation. No, it was true. Hunter has got all these corrupt business dealings with China and the Ukraine. And millions of people here in Arizona, millions of people in the country, didn’t get to read about that in the weeks before the election.
I think that one act of corporate censorship, of big tech censorship, that sent Biden into the White House. And unfortunately for all of us because he’s doing a really bad job as President of the United States.
FAULKNER: Now, that’s interesting because that has nothing to do with the election process. You&#8217;re talking about why you think it was not fair and what Americans need to know.
I don&#8217;t know if these polls drill down as much on the issue as you just did right there. I would just ask, again, why it was taken down. One of the people in that debate with you was an independent, and I know it was an issue that he was willing to use against you. So just your last thought on that and we’ll move forward.
MASTERS: Like I said, I think states change their rules to flood the zone with mail-in ballots. I think that’s messed up.
But I think the biggest problem, Harris, with the 2020 election was big tech working with big media, and apparently being pressured by the FBI to censor true information about Hunter Biden’s crimes. Call me old-fashioned, I think the American people should determine who the president, not Google or Facebook.
FAULKNER: Well, and more evidence to what you&#8217;re saying just in terms of the federal level we now know that a former CIA agent &#8212; Bret Baier interviewed him last night &#8212; he was part of a petition signed, a letter signed, saying that he thought it was misinformation about Hunter Biden at the CIA, just to pitch into what you&#8217;re saying right there.
Blake Masters, good luck this fall. Thank you for being in focus.</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/shows-you-what-his-priorities-are-blake-masters-hits-mark-kelly-for-backing-bidens-irs-buildup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘Shows You What His Priorities Are’: Blake Masters Hits Mark Kelly For Backing Biden’s IRS Buildup</a>

Donald Trump Holds Campaign Rally In Support Of Arizona GOP Candidates

Blake Masters Torches Opponent Over Deteriorating Conditions In U.S.: ‘Mark Kelly Happened’

Blake Masters Torches Opponent Over Deteriorating Conditions In U.S.: 'Mark Kelly Happened'

Crime

Illegal Immigration

Republican <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/blake-masters" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blake Masters</a> challenged Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mark-kelly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Kelly</a> (D-AZ) on Thursday over the Democrat’s support for legislation beefing up the IRS with up to 87,000 more employees while voting against an amendment that would have funded 18,000 more Border Patrol agents.
Kelly and Masters faced off in a debate, the first and likely only one in the race for one of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arizona</a>’s seats in the U.S. Senate, in Phoenix on Thursday evening. The two major party candidates were joined on stage by Libertarian candidate Marc Victor.
Shortly after opening remarks, Kelly and Masters entered a back-and-forth over immigration and inflation. Masters hit Kelly over his votes on the Inflation Reduction Act by contrasting the bill’s funding of up to 87,000 additional IRS employees and Kelly’s vote against an amendment that would have funded an additional 18,000 Border Patrol agents to help handle the immigration crisis.
“Mark Kelly said no to 18,000 more Border Patrol agents, but yes to 87,000 new IRS agents. That shows you what his priorities are,” Masters said. “Mark Kelly left our southern border wide open, voted for all the trillions in spending that caused this massive inflation, and he thinks the fix is 87,000 new IRS agents.”
Kelly stated that he voted for additional resources for the U.S. Border Patrol in other votes.
“There are votes that happen in D.C. that have nothing to do with Border Patrol agents, and it might have the title on it and nothing happens, right? So what I have done is I got $1 billion more for Border Patrol agents, for staffing, you know, for the technical systems to monitor the border, and, where they make sense, to build more border barriers,” Kelly said.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="WATCH LIVE: 2022 Arizona Senate Debate featuring Mark Kelly, Blake Masters and Marc Victor" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Vt7oJ1lnfro?start=840&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-signs-740-billion-inflation-reduction-act" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> the Inflation Reduction Act, which is <a href="https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2022/8/12/senate-passed-inflation-reduction-act" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expected</a> to have no near-term impact on inflation, into law in August after the legislation was passed through both chambers of Congress with no GOP support. The bill allocated $740 billion toward the IRS, Affordable Care Act subsidies, and green energy subsidies and tax credits among other spending.
The IRS’s portion was $80 billion, allowing the agency to potentially hire tens of thousands more agents to conduct audits and enforce the tax code.

Blake Masters, Mark Kelly

‘Shows You What His Priorities Are’: Blake Masters Hits Mark Kelly For Backing Biden’s IRS Buildup

Inflation Reduction Act

A conservative group released an ad in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arizona</a> on Monday targeting Democrats over transgender treatments for children and teens.
The American Principles Project (APP) is backing Republican <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/blake-masters" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blake Masters</a> in his bid to unseat Democratic Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/meet-arizona-sen-mark-kelly-a-vulnerable-democrat-in-the-2022-battle-over-the-senate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Kelly</a>, who is targeted by name in the ad. APP describes itself as a family-focused political action organization.
“The American Principles Project wants to make the family the most powerful, well-represented special interest group in Washington, D.C. Existing pro-family groups largely focus their efforts on education and tracking legislation. That’s great. But we need more. APP is the only national pro-family organization engaging directly in campaigns and elections,” APP says.
Monday’s 50-second spot is part of APP’s $10 million campaign to <a href="https://twitter.com/approject/status/1571873117483708416" target="_blank" rel="noopener">support</a> pro-family candidates in “6+ battleground states.” The ad features physiatrist and ardent transgender ideology critic Dr. Miriam Grossman, and hits Kelly, President Joe Biden, and the Democratic Party for pushing transgender treatment and surgery on children and teens.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;Democrats like Mark Kelly and Joe Biden support policies pushing dangerous transgender drugs and surgeries on kids — taking away parental rights.&quot;
NEW <a href="https://twitter.com/approject?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@approject</a> ad just dropped in Arizona. <a href="https://t.co/5p5RsHyxqh">pic.twitter.com/5p5RsHyxqh</a>
&mdash; American Principles 🇺🇸 (@approject) <a href="https://twitter.com/approject/status/1571872947002015744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The ad opens with Grossman: “We have an explosion of kids rather suddenly making an announcement that they are transgender.”
A narrator takes over, saying, “Democrats like Mark Kelly and Joe Biden support policies pushing dangerous transgender drugs and surgeries on kids, taking away parental rights.”
“Kids are told [in] elementary school, middle school, if your parents don’t go along with this, they’re not on your side,” Grossman says.
The narrator cuts in: “It’s Mark Kelly’s agenda for our kids and families.”
“There are no gold standard studies about transgender kids. Zero,” Grossman says. “We have to go out there and stop this. Our children deserve better.”
Kelly’s campaign did not immediately return The Daily Wire&#8217;s request for comment.
Polling indicates Kelly has maintained a lead over Masters, but that lead has narrowed considerably. A <a href="https://www.thetrafalgargroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/AZ-Gen-0918-Poll-Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poll</a> from The Trafalgar Group released Sunday said that Kelly’s lead has narrowed to just over a point, with Kelly at 46.6% and Masters close behind at 45.4%. That same poll showed Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake leading her Democratic opponent Katie Hobbs 50% to 45.6%.
Kelly is running to serve his first full term in the U.S. Senate. He first assumed office in December 2020 after winning a special election to hold the seat once held by the late-GOP Sen. John McCain. Kelly has <a href="https://www.kelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/news-kelly-rated-among-most-bipartisan-senators-data-reveals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">portrayed</a> himself as a moderate in the race, while Masters and Republicans point to Kelly’s near-identical <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/biden-congress-votes/mark-kelly/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voting record</a> with President Joe Biden’s priorities.

‘It’s Mark Kelly’s Agenda For Our Kids’: New Ad Slams Arizona Dem Over Transgender Issues

New Ad Hits Arizona Dem Over Transgender Issues

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) is under pressure to hold his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/u-s-senate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Senate</a> seat in a political climate unfavorable to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/democratic-party" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Democrats</a> amid soaring inflation under a historically unpopular Democratic <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">president</a>.
Kelly won his bid to represent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arizona</a> in the U.S. Senate in a 2020 special election, knocking off Republican incumbent Martha McSally, whom Governor Doug Ducey (R-AZ) appointed to fill the seat once held by the late Sen. John McCain. The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/2022-midterms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 midterm election</a> will make or break Kelly’s chance to serve his first full term as a U.S. senator.
Kelly is running as a moderate dealmaker, <a href="https://www.kelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/news-kelly-rated-among-most-bipartisan-senators-data-reveals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">touting</a> analyses that rank him as one of the Senate’s most bipartisan members based on a range of factors, but typically on the number of GOP-sponsored bills he cosigns and how many Republicans he can persuade into sponsoring his own legislation. Republicans are quick to point out that Kelly has <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/biden-congress-votes/mark-kelly/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voted</a> with President Joe Biden 94% of the time.
Mark Kelly And His Pledge Against “Corporate PACs”
Kelly has violated his pledge to not “take a dime of corporate PAC money,” according to <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2022/07/24/mark-kelly-donations-corporations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Caller News Foundation</a>. While Kelly may not have accepted a direct contribution from a corporate PAC, he has taken in tens of thousands of dollars from Democratic PACs backed by corporations.
A July review of Kelly’s Federal Election Commission filings by The DCNF revealed that the senator had accepted more than $150,000 from corporate-backed Democratic PACs since March 2019. A PAC associated with Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has donated $20,000 to Kelly’s campaign. That same committee, Green Mountain PAC, has raised nearly $250,000 since 2005 from corporate PACs for Google, Pfizer, AT&amp;T, General Dynamics, and Northrop Grumman, <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/disbursements/?cycle=2022&amp;data_type=processed&amp;committee_id=C00016683&amp;committee_id=C00078451&amp;committee_id=C00088591&amp;committee_id=C00109017&amp;committee_id=C00428623&amp;recipient_name=C00409110&amp;line_number=F3X-23" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filings</a> reveal.
Kelly has continued to claim his independence from “corporate PAC money,” vowing on his <a href="https://markkelly.com/why-im-running/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>: “This campaign is about the people of Arizona, not corporate PACs and the mess they&#8217;ve created in Washington. I won&#8217;t take a dime of corporate PAC money, and I&#8217;ll only answer to Arizonans.”
Gun Rights
Kelly has been <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2022/06/mark-kelly-absent-senate-gun-control-negotiations/661373/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quiet</a> in the gun rights debate since taking office. He has taken a backseat in recent legislative haggling over new federal gun control measures, choosing to cosponsor legislation rather than help craft it.
Kelly’s wife, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, was the victim of a shooting in 2011 in which a gunman shot her in the face. In the aftermath, Giffords resigned from Congress and, along with her husband, launched a gun control advocacy group that eventually resulted in the Giffords Law Center, an organization that advocates for stricter gun control measures and engages in legal battles to implement them. Giffords and Kelly were both vocal supporters of gun control measures in the years following.
In a 2017 interview with <a href="https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/10/10/mark-kelly-guns-lawmakers-quit-215693/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Politico</a>, before Kelly ran for office, he expressed doubt that he could be an “effective” advocate for gun control policy.
“I feel that Gabby and I and our organization, Americans for Responsible Solutions, has been incredibly effective on this issue, moving the country in the right direction on this,” he responded when asked about a potential run for Arizona governor. “I don’t know if I could necessarily be as effective on this on the inside.”
A glance at Kelly’s campaign website seems to support his conclusion. Despite Kelly’s past support for gun control measures such as red-flag laws or a ban on so-called assault weapons, his website lacks any substance related to firearms policy or the Second Amendment. Under his listed “<a href="https://www.kelly.senate.gov/priorities/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">priorities</a>,” gun rights are not even mentioned.
He has been relatively silent on the campaign trail except to make vague statements after tragedies such as the shooting in Buffalo, New York, or Uvalde, Texas. Kelly has essentially let his past activism speak for itself and avoided getting into debates over what U.S. gun policy should be.

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