“He’s a rubber stamp vote for Joe Biden’s agenda.” He’s not even a Kyrsten Sinema,“ Masters said at a campaign event last month, referring to Arizona’s senior senator known for political fights with her fellow Democrats. Masters has tried to penetrate Kelly’s independent image, aligning him with Biden’s failure to secure the U.S.-Mexico border and tamp down on rampant inflation. John McCain, whose death led to the special election that Kelly won in 2020. He’s styled himself as an independent willing to buck his party, in the style of Republican U.S. Kelly’s campaign has largely focused on his support for abortion rights, protecting Social Security, lowering drug prices and ensuring a stable water supply in the midst of a drought, which has curtailed Arizona’s cut of Colorado River water. Kelly and Giffords went on to co-found a gun control advocacy group. The shooting during a 2011 constituent event in Tucson killed six people and injured 13. Gabby Giffords, who inspired the nation with her recovery from a gunshot wound to the head. He flew in space four times as a NASA astronaut. Kelly’s political identity as been defined by two pieces of his biography. Masters emerged bruised from the contentious Republican primary and struggled to raise money, but polls suggest the race is nonetheless close. Kelly, 58, has distanced himself from Biden, particularly on border security, and plays down his Democratic affiliation. “And for as long as I’m there, I’ll be honest with you, I will protect our country and our democracy.” “It’s been the honor of my life to represent Arizona in the United States Senate,“ Kelly said. Kelly thanked his family and supporters gathered in Tucson and said he was confident he would prevail once all ballots are counted. With razor-thin margins between the parties, it often takes days to know the results of key races in Arizona, and it’s not uncommon for the candidate leading on election night to end up losing when all votes are counted. Mail ballots returned on Tuesday or shortly before were not yet reported and will be counted in the coming days. Masters was expected to narrow that lead as ballots cast in person are tabulated. Kelly led in the initial results Tuesday, which reflected mail ballots returned ahead of Election Day. It’s a test of the inroads that Kelly and other Democrats have made in a state once reliably dominated by Republicans and will offer clues about whether Democratic success here was an aberration during the Trump presidency or an enduring phenomenon. The Arizona race is one of a handful of contests that Republicans targeted in their bid to take control of what is now a 50-50 Senate. This time, the unpopular president, Joe Biden, is from Kelly’s own party, and the environment looks less favorable for Democrats. It was propelled by the state’s fast-changing demographics and the unpopularity of then-President Donald Trump. Kelly’s 2020 special election victory gave Democrats both of Arizona’s Senate seats for the first time in 70 years. Mark Kelly led his Republican rival, venture capitalist Blake Masters, but the race that could determine which party controls the U.S.
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