Polling this week showed Arizona Republican Sen. Martha McSally closing in on Democratic challenger Mark Kelly.
The new ABC News/Washington Post public opinion survey released Wednesday showed McSally just 1 percentage point behind the former NASA astronaut.
According to KTAR News, it’s the first time ABC News/The Washington Post has polled Arizona’s races. Notably, results leaned further right than most other polls.
MCSALLY LAYS OUT ARIZONA SENATE RACE STAKES: ‘I’M STANDING ON THE WALL’ TO PREVENT ‘RADICAL LEFT’ TAKEOVER
For example, in the same poll, President Trump also had a 1 percentage point lead over his opponent and former Vice President Joe Biden in the general election, while the Real Clear Politics Average showed Biden up more than 3 percentage points.
In addition, the Sept. 15-20 polling presented two sets of data for the races: one for likely voters and one for registered voters.
The registered voter results were better for the Democrats, with Biden leading by 2 points and Kelly by 5.
Representative Martha McSally greets US President Donald Trump during a “Make America Great” rally in Mesa, Arizona on October 19, 2018. – (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)
A week ago, a Siena College/The New York Times Upshot reported results that showed McSally trailing Kelly by 8 points among likely Arizona voters.
That said, Biden’s lead in the state some hope will swing blue was the lowest it’s been this month, according to a FiveThirtyEight average.
The battleground is seen as key for both the general election and for control of the Senate.
On Tuesday, McSally told “Fox & Friends” that the special election is “key to keep the Senate majority” for the GOP next year.
“People have known Arizona is key for the presidential race …” she said. “Now we’re key to ensure that the Supreme Court nominee goes through and that we’re able to shift the court for generations to come.”
After Republican Sen. John McCain passed away from brain cancer in 2018, former Sen. John Kyl filled the vacancy.
Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey then appointed McSally to the seat at the beginning of 2019.
While the Real Clear Politics Average for the race shows Kelly up by over 5.5 percentage points, the retired Air Force fighter pilot remains confident in her standings.
She was confident enough to butt heads with the president on his comments about Cindy McCain, who had endorsed Biden on Tuesday night.
“I hardly know Cindy McCain other than having put her on a Committee at her husband’s request,” Trump tweeted Wednesday morning. “Joe Biden was John McCain’s lapdog. So many BAD decisions on Endless Wars & the V.A., which I brought from a horror show to HIGH APPROVAL. Never a fan of John. Cindy can have Sleepy Joe!”
Speaking on Fox News Radio’s “The Guy Benson Show,” McSally said Wednesday no one should attack McCain.
“I’ve got the utmost respect for Cindy McCain, and she’s had a four-decade relationship with Joe Biden,” she said. “Her decision to make her voice heard in this election I totally respect. Now we just disagree on the best choice to move the country forward. But I also want to be clear: Nobody should be attacking Cindy McCain for her right in exercising her right to make her voice heard.”
McSally, like McCain, has a history of service and told the “Friends” hosts she was “propelled” to fight for the vulnerable by the death of her own father.
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“Now, I’m standing on the wall to make sure the radical left does not take over our country and I am standing there to make sure that Chuck Schumer is not in charge in the Senate, and people want a fighter,” she said. “We care about our freedoms in Arizona, so it is very much resonating.”
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