Tuesday, Rep. Martha McSally announced her candidacy for Arizona Senate. Sen. Jeff Flake will not run for re-election, leaving his seat open.
Kelly Ward, who ran against McCain in 2016 and lost, is running for Flake’s seat.
From Arizona Central:
Congresswoman Martha McSally is planning to enter Arizona’s 2018 Senate race, giving Republican Kelli Ward new competition in the GOP primary.
The lawmaker has told her Republican colleagues in Arizona’s delegation that she intends to enter the Senate race, but didn’t indicate when she would formally announce her bid, according to two people with knowledge of the conversations.
Her decision will further shake up the state’s political landscape. Sen. Jeff Flake announced two weeks ago he was abandoning his re-election bid amid sinking polling and high-profile clashes with President Donald Trump.
McSally would be the first high-profile name to join the Senate race since Flake’s retirement announcement. Jay Heiler, a longtime lobbyist and member of the state’s Board of Regents, has formed an exploratory committee. Others, including former members of Congress Matt Salmon and John Shadegg, have weighed a Senate bid, but have taken a pass, at least for now.
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Comments
I smell a rat. She wasn’t willing to run against Flake. Now that Flake has dropped out because he can’t win, here comes the GOPe rats to flood the zone.
Every bad thing they say about Kelly Ward was said about Reagan, Palin, and Trump.
She is GOPe! Look at her votes… I should’ve known better than to donate to an AZ combat pilot.
Meh. Please let me know when the other senator from Arizona announces retirement. That’s the one that’s going to finally break the stranglehold on uniparty stupidity.
Flake’s Heritage Action rating = 67%. McLames = 49%. McSally’s = 43%. Going the wrong way if AZ elects her.
McSally is liberal enough to be a GOPe replacement if elected. If not, she’ll make Ward’s job tougher by splitting the vote.
As I predicted, Flake only retired because he was radioactive and the GOPe needed time to find another squish replacement.
They will never give up power willingly.