United States Senate special election in Arizona, 2020

The 2020 United States Senate special election in Arizona was an election on November 3, 2020 concurring with the other congressional races and the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Incumbent conservative interim senator Martha McSally ran for re-election to complete her partial term that initially resulted after the death of then-sitting RINO John McCain, where Jon Kyl had been first been appointed, and after his brief tenure, McSally via a gubernatorial pick.

While the race was expected to mostly be a tossup and among the most competitive elections in the 2020 U.S. Senate elections, fake news election ratings such as Politico, the Cook Political Report, and Inside Elections have all rated the special election as leaning/tilting Democrat.[1][2][3]

## Contents

* 1 Background
* 2 Primaries
* 2.1 Republican primary
* 2.2 Democrat primary
* 3 Debate(s)
* 4 Key Senate race highlights
* 4.1 McSally's Senate record
* 4.2 Rebuke against CNN reporter
* 4.3 Mark Kelly's noted hypocrisy
* 4.3.1 Gun control
* 4.3.2 Opposition to Space Force
* 4.3.3 Corporate donors
* 4.3.4 Joe Biden/Bernie Sanders
* 4.3.5 China
* 4.3.6 Paycheck Protection Program
* 4.4 Establishment/Democrat/RINO collusion
* 4.4.1 Fake "polling"
* 4.4.2 "Never Trumper" support for Mark Kelly
* 4.5 Other
* 5 General election results
* 6 See also
* 7 References

## Background[edit]

Martha McSally ran for U.S. Senate in 2018, losing by a close margin.

Martha McSally, a U.S. Air Force combat veteran who had served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019 as a moderate Republican, ran for election to the U.S. Senate in 2018 following the announced retirement of globalist RINO Jeff Flake, whose approval rating fell to 18% in late 2017 after consistently opposing Donald Trump.[4] Due to the obstruction during the 115th United States Congress within the Republican Party that hindered conservative measures from being passed, notably with the Obamacare repeal attempts,[5] in addition to McSally's long-held criticisms of Trump ever since 2016,[6] abandonment by some in the Republican voter base,[7] many of whom endorsed her more conservative primary opponent Kelli Ward,[8] and her bigoted far-left Democrat opponent Kyrsten Sinema running as a supposed "moderate", McSally ultimately lost by less than 3% of the votes casted in the general election.[9]

Despite having lost the general election in an attempt to win Jeff Flake's Senate seat, interim Jon Kyl, who was previously appointed to and held the other seat vacated upon RINO John McCain's death, quickly announced his retirement,[10] and Arizona's Republican governor Doug Ducey announced his appointment of McSally to the position in December 2018.[11]

It is important to note that despite McSally's moderate House tenure of having been largely opposed to Donald Trump, she had began to become supportive and increasingly more so of Trump ever since right before the 2018 election.[12] In addition, despite her 2018 run being backed by the moderate GOP establishment, McSally has diverted from the establishment agenda as a strong conservative, populist, and a very effective legislator.[13]

## Primaries[edit]

### Republican primary[edit]

Sen. McSally faced a strong primary challenge from Glendale businessman Daniel McCarthy, who has claimed over and over that the former is insufficiently conservative.[14] McCarthy has bizarrely proposed an annexation of Mexico[15] and even used his "Demand Daniel" campaign slogan as part of his name for the ballot in a prerogative manner.[16] The liberal Arizona Republic, which frequently publishes "opinion" article attacks on Sen. McSally, has mocked McCarthy.[17] McCarthy has also posted numerous misleading attacks against McSally on his Twitter campaign page.[18]

McSally ultimately won her party's primary with three-quarters of the votes cast.[19] McCarthy refused to concede that he had lost by a fifty-point margin,[20] arguing that his support base should have boosted him to victory despite the fact that McSally's election campaign has traveled around Arizona to register a large number of voters and increase enthusiasm for the incumbent senator.[21]

### Democrat primary[edit]

Kelly, who ultimately faced no opposition in the Democrat primary, won uncontested.[19]

## Debate(s)[edit]

A debate was held between McSally and Kelly on October 6, 2020, hosted by the Arizona PBS, the Arizona Republic, the Arizona Public Media, and KJZZ. While it had previously been reported to be the only official debate,[22] there were speculations that more may potentially be held, as the two candidates informally agreed at the end to possibly debate in the further weeks.[23] In it, Kelly notably admitted that he was in favor of left-wing policies such as a "public option" in addition to gun control laws such as totalitarian red flag laws. He also called for "independent leadership" despite being backed by the Senate campaign wing of the Democrat establishment.[24] In contrast, Sen. McSally largely highlighted accomplishments made by herself and the Republican Party during the Trump era.

Several moments highlighted the debate; McSally accurately noted that Kelly, a leftist portraying himself as being supposedly "moderate", supported radical Democrats such as Ilhan Omar.[25] Kelly also admitted that he was anti-Trump and would have voted to remove Donald Trump from office over the sham articles of impeachment.[23] A liberal hypocrite, he attacked McSally over corporate donors when he indirectly took money from corporate PACs.[26] Kelly also refused to directly answer on whether he would end the Senate filibuster.[27] He continuously blamed the CCP virus in the United States on the Trump Administration and McSally, while the latter accurately noted the root fault and responsibility of China over the pandemic. Noted as "Counterfeit Kelly" over issues such as Paycheck Protection Program hypocrisy,[28] he also falsely claimed[29] that McSally hadn't stood up for RINO John McCain.

A Breitbart analysis showed that a moderator for the debate, Ted Simons of Arizona PBS, exhibited liberal bias;[30] he had previously been a moderator for the debate in the 2018 U.S. Senate election in Arizona between McSally and Kyrsten Sinema then.[31]

## Key Senate race highlights[edit]

### McSally's Senate record[edit]

Sen. McSally has arguably accomplished much in her Senate record despite having only served for just over a year, authoring forty-six bills in 2019 alone, being tied with her colleague Chuck Grassley for sponsoring the most number of bills signed into law, most of which are bipartisan, and all without significantly abandoning her party line.[13]

Amidst the coronavirus outbreak throughout the U.S., McSally announced that she would pause campaign fundraising and donate her April salary to charities.[32]

In early September, McSally harshly rebuked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on the Senate floor for blocking a proposal she introduced to temporarily extend unemployment benefits for one week amidst the CCP virus in the United States.[33]

Having taken a strong stance voicing opposition to China over the coronavirus pandemic, Sen. McSally has elicited the ire of CCP officials.[34]

### Rebuke against CNN reporter[edit]

After Martha McSally had effectively abandoned political correctness in calling CNN shill Manu Raju a "liberal hack",[35] leftist snowflakes throughout social media were outraged to discover that the senator would assert harsh factuality and dare disregard the preciousness of their feelings.[36] The rebuke was noted by conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh to be a "pleasant surprise".[37]

### Mark Kelly's noted hypocrisy[edit]

#### Gun control[edit]

Despite being a self-admitted gun-owner who professes to support the second amendment, Kelly favors dangerous red flag laws that allow for easy confiscations of firearms.[38] In addition, it's important to note that having been a strong advocate of gun control since his wife Gabrielle Giffords had been shot in a tragic event, Kelly tried to prove how simple it was to buy an AR-15 as an argument for greater gun control measures,[39] only to find out that his attempted purchase was initially rescinded because of existing gun control laws.[40]

Kelly has unsurprisingly hidden his support for gun control in his campaign.[41]

Democrat Mark Kelly is known for his inconsistencies and hypocrisy.

#### Opposition to Space Force[edit]

Despite being a famous astronaut, Kelly in mid-2018 opposed Donald Trump proposal to create a Space Force, calling it a “dumb idea”.[42]

#### Corporate donors[edit]

Despite denouncing corporate PAC money being donated to political campaigns, Kelly and his campaign have accepted nearly two million dollars from corporate interests, as reported in mid-March 2020 by the America Rising PAC.[43] In addition, Kelly has indirectly received corporate money via Democrat organizations acting as proxies.[44] $1.8 million worth of donations were “earned” from giving speeches alone, as reported in late July 2019.[45] In addition, a fundraiser for Kelly was held on March 26, 2019, with invitations being issued by ActBlue,[46] a group tied to the far-left, anti-American billionaire George Soros.[47]

#### Joe Biden/Bernie Sanders[edit]

When asked in February if he would endorse socialist Bernie Sanders such that the latter became the Democrat nominee for president in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Kelly said that he was a “capitalist”.[48] Kelly later commented that he would support whoever became the nominee for the Democratic Party, whether it be Biden or Sanders. His campaign staff later asserted that it had been Kelly's intent to support the “eventual Democratic nominee”. After Martha McSally's campaign released an ad strongly criticizing Kelly over this,[49] the latter ultimately endorsed Joe Biden.[50]

After Tara Reade claimed that Joe Biden had sexually assaulted her in a credible and corroborated allegation, Kelly announced on April 30, 2020 that he would firmly stand with Biden and vote for the latter, saying that he's “got a strong sense of [Biden's] character”.[51]

#### China[edit]

Despite having been a critic of China amidst the coronavirus pandemic,[52] one of Kelly's co-founded[53] companies, World View Enterprises, was reported to have ties to a puppet for the CCP,[54] having been heavily invested in by Tencent.[55] The latter, a Chinese company, has engaged in censorship[56] and espionage.[57]

Kelly's ties to the CCP began in 2003 when then attending the Young Leaders Forum, an event co-hosted by the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs, an institute for the CCP;[58] those who also attended that conference included Cui Tiankai, Fang Xinghai, and Zhou Mingwei, who either are or have been part of the Chinese government in some way. Later deals between Kelly in certain respects and the country were reported to be part of party deals "absolutely essential" to Chinese business deals being secured. He and his wife Gabby Giffords have said that they first met at that event.

#### Paycheck Protection Program[edit]

As noted in an ad by McSally's campaign on July 31, 2020,[59] Kelly criticized the Paycheck Protection Program established by the CARES Act yet benefited from the program via a co-founded company.[60] The left-wing PolitiFake nonetheless claimed that McSally's assertion was "Mostly False" despite providing evidence mostly backing up her claim.[61]

### Establishment/Democrat/RINO collusion[edit]

See also: McSally Derangement Syndrome

#### Fake "polling"[edit]

See also: Liberal media bias, United_States_Senate_elections,_2020#Establishment_media/Democrat_collusion

A massive effort was spent on fake polls for the Arizona Senate race, almost all of which have had moderately low sample sizes and relatively high margin of errors, most of which concluding in McSally trailing Kelly by around seven or more points. These "polls" were frequently cited and mentioned by establishment media outlets, such as The Hill.

#### "Never Trumper" support for Mark Kelly[edit]

According to the Washington Times in September 2019, donors who previously contributed to RINO John McCain were giving cash to liberal Mark Kelly's campaign.[62] In addition, former Tea Party Republican Joe Walsh, a noted hard-core "Never Trumper", announced his support on March 5, 2020 for Kelly.[63]

### Other[edit]

In early September 1, 2020, McSally called out Kelly for dodging a debate challenge, noting that "he might be scared of debating a girl.".[64]

Mark Kelly issued an apology in mid-September 2020 over a past racist remark.[65]

Kelly has avoided directly answering on whether he would support ending the Senate filibuster.[66]

In early October 2020, three astronauts wrote an op-ed on the Arizona Republic announcing their endorsement of Martha McSally over Mark Kelly;[67] they noted the bipartisanship of the incumbent senator as well as the leftist policies favored by Kelly, concluding:

> McSally has delivered for Arizona, while Mark Kelly embraces Democrat ideology that would be bad for our country — leaving us with less freedoms, less security and less control of our lives.

> We know McSally is the fighter Arizona and our country need for this defining moment for future generations. The choice for November is clear, and that’s why we are supporting Sen. Martha McSally.

## General election results[edit]

Despite strong campaign efforts, McSally was reported to have lost the general election to Kelly, trailing by 2.4% with 99% of the expected votes counted.[68] While nearly all MSM called the race a Democrat flip, it's important to note that the campaign for Trump, who currently trails Biden in the state for the concurrent presidential election, has filed a lawsuit in Maricopa County over potential rejected votes;[69] however, McSally conceded the race on November 13, 2020.[70]

McSally reportedly hired the same people who ran her 2018 campaign to run her 2020 campaign.[71]

## See also[edit]

* United States Senate election in Arizona, 2018
* United States Senate election in Colorado, 2020
* United States Senate election in Maine, 2020

## References[edit]

1. ↑ Who wins 2020? Senate Elections Prediction - Politico
2. ↑ 2020 Senate Race Ratings | The Cook Political Report
3. ↑ Senate Ratings | Inside Elections
4. ↑ Poll: Flake’s approval rating in Arizona at 18 percent
5. ↑ How Each Senator Voted on Obamacare Repeal Proposals
6. ↑ McSally on Trump
7. ↑ Mark Levin Says McSally Refused to Go on His Show, Didn’t Want to be Tied to Conservatives – Then Lost to a Marxist
8. ↑ Multiple references:
* Rand Paul endorses Arizona's Kelli Ward
* Steve King Throws His Support Behind Arizona’s Kelli Ward
* Rep. Paul Gosar Endorses Kelli Ward for Senate Over ‘Never Trumper’ Martha McSally
9. ↑ Arizona Senate Election Results 2018
10. ↑ Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl To Step Down, Leaving McCain's Seat Vacant Again
11. ↑ Governor Ducey Appoints Martha McSally To U.S. Senate
12. ↑ WATCH: President Trump introduces Martha McSally at campaign rally in Mesa
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Buzz: ‘Electability’ a top debate issue, Martha McSally’s bragging rights, change at CFPB
14. ↑ Sen. Martha McSally gets primary challenge from businessman Daniel McCarthy
15. ↑ McSally's GOP Senate Challenger Wants to...Annex Mexico
16. ↑ Arizona Election Results - 2020
17. ↑ Is Daniel McCarthy hoping for a Senate seat or a spot on Saturday Night Live?
18. ↑ https://twitter.com/DemandDanielAZ
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 August 2020 election results for federal and state races in Arizona
20. ↑ Two references:
* Garret Talks To Daniel McCarthy About Election Results, AZ GOP & His Future
* 'We got our butts handed to us' McSally primary challenger won't concede despite big loss
21. ↑ https://twitter.com/TeamMcSally
22. ↑ Martha McSally, Mark Kelly to meet Oct. 6 in only US Senate debate in Arizona
23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 2020 Senate Debate: Martha McSally vs Mark Kelly
24. ↑ DSCC Endorses Mark Kelly in Arizona Senate Campaign
25. ↑ https://twitter.com/IlhanMN/status/1055860561886527490
26. ↑ Mark Kelly Receives Thousands of Dollars Through Corporate PAC Loophole
27. ↑ Mark Kelly Refuses to Tell Arizona Voters What He’ll Do on Filibuster
28. ↑ Arizona’s Mark Kelly Slammed PPP While His Company Reaped Its Benefits
29. ↑ Mark Kelly, Joe Biden, Martha McSally defend John McCain after new report of Donald Trump insults
30. ↑ Fact Check: Moderator in Arizona Senate Debate Uses Debunked Coronavirus ‘Hoax’ Talking Point; Update: Atlantic, Too
31. ↑ Martha McSally and Kyrsten Sinema debate for U.S. Senate seat in Arizona (full debate)
32. ↑ Sen. Martha McSally Donates April Salary To Fight Coronavirus, Pauses Fundraising
33. ↑ McSally BLASTS Schumer on Senate floor
34. ↑ While Martha McSally Has Angered the Chi-Coms, Mark Kelly Has Partnered with Them
35. ↑ GOP Sen. Martha McSally calls CNN's Manu Raju a 'liberal hack' after he asks about impeachment
36. ↑ Martha McSally Is Now A Dangerous Media Critic For Calling A CNN Reporter A ‘Liberal Hack’
37. ↑ Senator McSally Calls Out Liberal CNN Hack
38. ↑ NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, whose wife Gabby Giffords was shot in the head, still owns guns. He says Congress could do a lot more to keep people safe.
39. ↑ Gabby Giffords’ Husband Mark Kelly Buys AR-15
40. ↑ Gun store rescinds Mark Kelly's rifle purchase, questions his 'intent'
41. ↑ Mark Kelly Hides Gun Control Support During Arizona Senate Run
42. ↑ Captain Mark Kelly on Twitter: "This is..."
43. ↑ Mark Kelly Owes Arizona Voters an Explanation for His Blatant Dishonesty
44. ↑ Mark Kelly Receives Thousands of Dollars Through Corporate PAC Loophole
45. ↑ Two references:
* Mark Kelly earned $1.8M for speeches
* Mark Kelly Tries to Bury His Financial Disclosure During #DemDebate
46. ↑ flyer_43038.pdf
47. ↑ Dem on-line fundraiser ActBlue “lies” when they say Soros never gave them money
48. ↑ Two references:
* AZ Senate candidate Mark Kelly gives different answers on presidential candidate endorsement
* Watch Senate Candidate Mark Kelly Give Three Different Answers as to Whether He'd Support Bernie for President
49. ↑ Bernie Bro - Youtube
50. ↑ Mark Kelly endorses Joe Biden
51. ↑ Two references:
* AZ Sen: Mark Kelly Stands by Biden on Misconduct Allegations
* Mark Kelly stands by Joe Biden endorsement amid Tara Reade's sexual assault claim
52. ↑ Mark Kelly Silent on Firm's Windfall From Chinese Tech Giant
53. ↑ Arizona’s Mark Kelly Sat on Advisory Board of Company That Partnered With Chinese Tech Giant
54. ↑ AZ Senate: Mark Kelly Facing Backlash for Company's Ties to China
55. ↑ AZ Senate wannabe Mark Kelly’s Chinese Communist ties exposed
56. ↑ Mark Kelly Silent on Prominent Chinese Investor Censoring NBA Broadcasting in China
57. ↑ Chinese tech giant Tencent reportedly surveilled foreign users of WeChat to help censorship at home
58. ↑ Multiple references:
* For Mark Kelly, Attending Forum Hosted by CCP Was the Beginning of Lucrative Relationship with China
* Mark Kelly a communist Chinese sellout? Beijing’s “lucrative” business relationships with US personalities threaten national security
* Gun-Grabbing Grifter Mark Kelly Is Yet Another Democrat in Bed With the Chinese Communist Party
59. ↑ Cheap Shots
60. ↑ Multiple references:
* Democrat Senate Candidates Benefited from PPP Loans While Criticizing Program
* Arizona’s Mark Kelly Slammed PPP While His Company Reaped Its Benefits
* How Senate candidates Mark Kelly and Daniel McCarthy are tied to businesses that got PPP cash
* Democratic candidates benefit from PPP loans they criticized
61. ↑ Fact-checking Arizona Senate race claim about Mark Kelly, PPP loan
62. ↑ McCain donors flip to Mark Kelly over Republican incumbent in key Arizona Senate race
63. ↑ https://twitter.com/WalshFreedom/status/1235751855033995264
64. ↑ Two references:
* Senate Republicans Call on Democrat Opponents to Stop Hiding and Debate
* GOP Senators Push for Debates, Call Out Hiding Dems
65. ↑ Multiple references:
* Mark Kelly apologizes for offensive 2018 joke
* Political Notebook: Mark Kelly apologizes for insensitive remark; dog bites candidate's husband
* Dem Senate candidate Mark Kelly apologizes for offensive joke about brother
66. ↑ Multiple references:
* Mark Kelly Dodges on Ending Filibuster
* Why does Mark Kelly continue to dodge answering this important question?
* Democrat Senate Candidate Mark Kelly Still Won’t Reveal His Position on Filibuster
67. ↑ Multiple referenceS:
* Martha McSally has what it takes to be a senator. Mark Kelly doesn't, former astronauts say
* Ouch! Three Astronauts Endorse AZ’s GOP Senator Over Her Astronaut Senate Challenger
* 3 former astronauts endorse Sen. McSally over Democrat challenger and astronaut Mark Kelly
* Three Astronauts Explain Why They’re Throwing Their Support Behind Sen Martha McSally (R-AZ) Over Former Astronaut, Gun-Grabbing Democrat Mark Kelly
* ICYMI: Here's Why Three Astronauts Have Endorsed McSally and not Mark Kelly
68. ↑ Arizona Senate Election Results 2020
69. ↑ Trump campaign files lawsuit in Arizona for 'rejected votes' in Maricopa County
70. ↑ Two references:
* Martha McSally concedes to Mark Kelly in Arizona U.S. Senate race
* Martha McSally finally concedes in Arizona Senate race against Mark Kelly
71. ↑ AZ Sen: Projections Have Mark Kelly Defeating Martha McSally