The Arizona Senate race has been called for Democrat incumbent Mark Kelly, who beat his Republican challenger Blake Masters.
With 83 percent of the vote reported, Masters has received 46.1 percent of the vote while Kelly has thus far received 51.8 percent of the vote.
Kelly, who originally took office after defeating his Republican opponent Martha McSally in 2020, has reliably voted in line with President Joe Biden’s policy agenda, including on key issues like border security and immigration.
Kelly had a significant lead in the polls for much of the race, with the incumbent holding a six-point lead as recently as late September, according to the Real Clear Politics polling average. The race became tighter throughout the month of October, with the polling average eventually only showing Kelly with a one-point lead as of the fourth of November.
Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, left, smiles as he stands on stage with Republican challenger Blake Masters, right, prior to a televised debate in Phoenix, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
During the campaign, Kelly attacked Masters’ stance on abortion, remarking in their debate, “You think you know better than women and doctors about abortion,” going on to say, “We all know guys like this, and we can’t be letting them make decisions about us because it’s just dangerous.”
Kelly frequently marketed himself to voters as a moderate senator who focuses on bipartisan collaboration despite voting in lockstep with President Biden’s priorities. During an interview, Kelly expressed his opposition to the overturning of Roe v. Wade but did not discuss what limits, if any, there should be on abortion.
Meanwhile, Masters focused much of his campaign on immigration and border security, frequently criticizing the Democrat incumbent for his voting record on the issue. During their debate in early October, Masters went so far as to tell Kelly that he should resign from the Senate if he was unable to defend our southern border.
Democrat Sen. Mark Kelly: “I’ve been focused on the border since day one.”@bgmasters: “We have a wide open southern border, so if that’s the best you can do, I respectfully request you resign.” 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/lKxpaL9ZGY
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 7, 2022
Masters also frequently discussed the fentanyl crisis in media appearances, charging that Kelly pretended to care but had not taken sufficient action to combat the spread of the deadly drug, which is often trafficked across the southern border.
Spencer Lindquist is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerLndqst and reach out at [email protected].
