While Americans are justifiably focused on the fascinating presidential campaign, there is a U.S. Senate primary in Arizona coming up on August 30th that could use a bit of attention.
Republican Senate primary voters are currently split between several candidates. One of the better positioned hopefuls, Alex Meluskey, has just dropped out of the primary. The biggest beneficiary of this development is a vibrant challenger, Dr. Kelli Ward.
A Public Policy Polling survey of the Republican Primary showed former State Senator Ward tied with McCain 41-41 head-to-head but trailing 39-26 when three other candidates were included in the poll. One of those three candidates, Scott McBean, failed to turn in enough signatures to make the ballot. With Meluskey’s campaign suspension, only perennial candidate Clair Van Steenwyk remains. Van Steenwyk polled last in the PPP survey with just 2 percent compared to Meluskey’s 4 percent and McBean’s 3 percent. Van Steenwyk isn’t expected to rise above low single digits.
Conservative talk show icon, Tammy Bruce, offers this additional background on the race:
…[Public Policy Polling]’s new Arizona poll finds that John McCain has a negative approval rating with Republican primary voters, and is at pretty serious risk of losing nomination for another term. Only 35% of GOP voters approve of the job McCain is doing to 50% who disapprove. He’s in particularly poor standing with conservative voters. Among ‘somewhat conservative’ voters his approval spread is 33/52, and among ‘very conservative’ voters it drops all the way down to 18/67. McCain is polling at only 39% in the Republican primary field.
For those of you who worry that Ward is not a serious candidate, let me put your mind at ease:
In addition to being a physician in private practice, she also has political experience as an Arizona State Senator. While campaigning, she continue to practice medicines in emergency departments in Lake Havasu City and Kingman.
Her positions are solidly conservative, tempered with real-life experience. As an example, here is a sample of her proposed Patient Power Plan for American healthcare.
All Americans without employer provided health insurance would be eligible for a health insurance tax credit equal to $2,500 per person, $8,000 per family of four, which would effectively extend the tax preference for employer provided health insurance on equal terms to everyone. Workers would be free to use that tax credit for the purchase of any health insurance in the market of their choice, including Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). The credit would be refundable and payable monthly so that even those with little or no tax liability would receive the full amount of the credit which they can use to help pay their insurance premiums. This reverses power and control over health care and insurance from politicians and bureaucrats in Washington to working people all across America.
More recently, Ward slammed McCain for taking a jab at Donald Trump for making comments about Gold Star father and DNC speaker Khzir Khan. While McCain understandably doesn’t much care for Trump, and Hillary Clinton has referred to the Arizona senator as “her favorite Republican,” inserting himself into the press-inspired controversy seems unwise.
Trump has a solid lead over Clinton in Arizona polls. Additionally, it turns out Khan isn’t just your average Gold Star parent; he has ties to the Clinton Foundation and to controversial immigration programs.
And while it is tragic that Captain Humayun Saqib Muazzam Khan was killed in service to this nation, Trump also referred to him as a “hero“, which is not a point our elite media has cared to make. Furthermore, Trump has been on the forefront of veteran’s issues, whereas Clinton will likely carry out Obama administration practices such as allowing inept Phoenix VA bureaucrats back after their suspensions.
However, no matter where you stand on Donald Trump, the fact is that John McCain has long passed his “sell by” date and Kelli Ward looks well positioned to win the primary. If you are an Arizonan, please vote for her.
Let’s #RetireMcCain.
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