2020_United_States_Senate_special_election_in_Arizona

2020 United States Senate special election in Arizona

2020 United States Senate special election in Arizona

Election of US Senator Mark Kelly


The 2020 United States Senate special election in Arizona was held on November 3, 2020, following the death in office of incumbent Republican U.S. Senator John McCain on August 25, 2018. Governor Doug Ducey was required by Arizona law to appoint a Republican to fill the vacant seat until a special election winner could be sworn in.[1][2] On September 5, 2018, Ducey appointed former U.S. Senator Jon Kyl to fill McCain's seat. However, Kyl announced he would resign on December 31, 2018.[3]

Quick Facts Nominee, Party ...

On December 18, 2018, Ducey announced that outgoing U.S. Representative Martha McSally would be appointed to fill the seat following Kyl's resignation.[4] McSally was sworn in as the state's junior U.S. Senator on January 3, 2019, less than two months after she was defeated by Democrat Kyrsten Sinema for Arizona's Class 1 U.S. Senate seat.[5] McSally ran to complete the term, defeating skincare executive Daniel McCarthy in the Republican primary. She faced former astronaut Mark Kelly,[6] who ran uncontested in the Democratic primary. Primary elections took place on August 4, 2020.[7]

Once a reliably Republican state, Arizona trended more purple in the late 2010s. Kelly significantly outraised McSally and led by about 5% in the average poll leading up to Election Day.

Kelly defeated McSally by a margin of 2.4% on election night, thereby flipping the seat Democratic. As a result, he outperformed Joe Biden in the concurrent presidential election, who defeated President Donald Trump by 0.3%, but underperformed his polling average. Kelly became the first Democrat to win the Class 3 Senate seat since Carl Hayden won his last term in 1962.[8] This also marked the first time since the 82nd Congress preceding the 1952 election that Democrats held both Senate seats in Arizona.

Kelly was sworn in on December 2, 2020.

Interim appointments

Appointees

Potential candidates not appointed

Republican primary

Incumbent McSally faced one challenger: Daniel McCarthy, a skincare company executive. Upon his respective announcements, McCarthy's independent wealth was expected to set up a bruising and expensive primary campaign, however, McSally won the primary in a landslide.[16]

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated in primary

  • Sean Lyons (as a write-in candidate)[19]
  • Daniel McCarthy, skincare company executive[20]

Withdrawn

Declined

Endorsements

Martha McSally
U.S. presidents
State officials
Individuals
Organizations

Primary results

Results by county:
  McSally—80–90%
  McSally—70–80%
  McSally—60–70%
More information Party, Candidate ...

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated in primary

  • Bo "Heir Archy" Garcia (as a write-in candidate)[19]

Withdrew

Declined

Endorsements

Primary results

More information Party, Candidate ...

Libertarian primary

Neither one of the write-in candidates received enough votes to secure the Libertarian nomination in the general election.

Write-in candidates

Eliminated in primary

Primary results

More information Party, Candidate ...

Other candidates

General election write-in candidates

Declared

Republican
Democratic
Other
  • Christopher Beckett, veteran (Independent)[81]
  • William "Will" Decker (Independent)[81]
  • Matthew "Doc" Dorchester (Libertarian)[81]
  • Nicholas N. Glenn, navy veteran and aerospace engineer (Independent Republican)[81]
  • Mathew Haupt (Independent)[81]
  • Benjamin Rodriguez (Independent)[81]
  • Joshua Rodriguez (Unity)[81]
  • Frank Saenz (Independent)[81]
  • Jim Stevens (Independent)[81]

Withdrawn

General election

Debates

Predictions

More information Source, Ranking ...

Endorsements

Martha McSally (R)
Federal officials
State officials
Organizations
Newspapers
Others

Polling

Graphical summary

Aggregate polls

More information Mark Kelly vs. Martha McSally, Source of poll aggregation ...
More information Polling, Poll source ...
More information Poll source, Date(s) administered ...
More information Poll source, Date(s) administered ...
More information Poll source, Date(s) administered ...
More information Poll source, Date(s) administered ...
Hypothetical polling
with Daniel McCarthy and Mark Kelly
with Ruben Gallego
on whether McSally deserves to be re-elected
with generic Republican and generic Democrat

Results

More information Party, Candidate ...
More information By county, County ...

See also

Notes

  1. In December 2018, McSally was appointed by Governor Doug Ducey to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Senator John McCain and the resignation of Senator Jon Kyl.
  2. Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear
  3. "Some other candidate" with 3%; would not vote with 0%; "Undecided/Refused" with 1%
  4. "Refused" and Undecided with 1%; Did not vote with 0%
  5. "Other" and Undecided with 1%
  6. "Other candidate or write-in" with 0%
  7. "Someone else" with 2%
  8. "Refused" with 4%; "Other" with 1%; Undecided with 2%
  9. "Someone else" and would not vote with 0%; "Undecided/Refused" with 6%
  10. "Some other" with 3.5%; "Other" with 7.5%; Undecided with 2%
  11. "None of these" and Undecided with 2%; "Other" with 1%
  12. "Some other candidate" with 4%; Undecided with 5%
  13. Undecided with 6%
  14. "Some other candidate" with 2%; would not vote with 0%; Undecided with 3%
  15. Undecided with 10%
  16. "Refused" with 1%; Undecided with 3%
  17. "Someone else" and would not vote with 2%; Undecided with 6%
  18. Undecided with 2%
  19. "Other" and "Refused" with 0%; Undecided with 3%
  20. "Some other candidate" with 3%; would not vote with 0%; "Undecided/Refused" with 2%
  21. "Some other candidate" and Undecided with 5%
  22. Additional data sourced from FiveThirtyEight
  23. Standard VI response
  24. "Some other candidate" with 6%; Undecided with 9%
  25. Results generated with high Democratic turnout model
  26. Results generated with high Republican turnout model
  27. "Refused" with 3%; "Other" with 2%; Undecided with 5%
  28. "Someone else" with 2%; Undecided with 5%
  29. "Some other candidate" and Undecided with 4%; would not vote with 0%
  30. "No one" with 1%; "Other" with 0%; Undecided with 4%
  31. With a likely voter turnout model featuring higher turnout than in the 2016 presidential election
  32. With a likely voter turnout model featuring lower turnout than in the 2016 presidential election
  33. "Other" with 3%; Undecided with 4%
  34. "Refused" with 0%; Undecided with 5%
  35. "Some other candidate" with 4%; would not vote with 0%; "Undecided/Prefer not to answer" with 4%
  36. Undecided with 7%
  37. Undecided with 4%
  38. "Refused" with 2%; "Other" with 1%; Undecided with 4%
  39. "Some other candidate" with 1%; "Undecided/Refused" with 6%
  40. Would not vote and Undecided with 3%
  41. Would not vote with 1%; "Someone else" with 0%; "Undecided/Refused" with 10%
  42. Undecided with 5%
  43. Overlapping sample with the previous Morning Consult poll, but more information available regarding sample size
  44. "Someone else" with 4%; Undecided with 6%
  45. "Other" and "Refused" with 2%; Undecided with 7%
  46. "Someone else" and Undecided with 5%
  47. Undecided with 15%
  48. Would not vote with 1%; Undecided with 5%
  49. "Neither" with 2%; would not vote with 0%; "other" with no voters; Undecided with 1%
  50. Overlapping sample with the previous and subsequent Morning Consult polls, but more information available regarding sample size
  51. "Not sure/prefer not to answer" with 4%; "Some other candidate" with 3%; would not vote with 1%
  52. "Another Third Party/Write-in" with 2%; Undecided with 11%
  53. "Other" with 0%; Undecided with 4%
  54. Would not vote with 1%; "Someone else" with 0%; "Undecided/Refused" with 7%
  55. "Someone else" with 4%; Undecided with 9%
  56. "Neither/Another Party" with 4%; "Undecided/Don't know/Refused" with 16%
  57. Undecided with 9%
  58. "Someone else" with 3%; Undecided with 6%
  59. "Refused" with 1%; Undecided with 6%
  60. "Someone else" with 0%; Undecided with 7%
  61. Would not vote with 1%; Undecided with 3%
  62. "Another Third Party/Write-in" with 1%; Undecided with 7%
  63. "Someone else" with 4%; Undecided with 7%
  64. "Other" and would not vote with 1%; Undecided with 3%
  65. "Other" and would not vote with 1%; Undecided with 4%
  66. "Third party/write-in" with 1%; Undecided with 11%
  67. Would not vote with 2%; Undecided with 6%
  68. "Someone else" with 5%; Undecided with 8%
  69. "Refused" with 1%; Undecided with 8%
  70. "No one" with 10%
  71. "None of the above/neither" with 3%; "other" with 0%; Undecided with 4%
  72. "Third party/write-in" with 3%; Undecided with 10%
  73. "Someone else" with 4%; Undecided with 8%
  74. "Other" with 1%; Undecided with 5%
  75. "Another candidate" with 6%; Undecided with 5%
  76. Undecided with 2%; would not vote with 1%
  77. Undecided with 9%; "Someone else" with 3%; would not vote with 0%
  78. Undecided with 5%; "Refused" with 1%
  79. Undecided with 5.2%; "Other" with 1.8%; "refused" with 0.4%
  80. Undecided with 12%
  81. Undecided with 3%; "Would not vote" with 0%
  82. Undecided with 14%; "Third party/write-in" with 3%
  83. Undecided with 14%; "Another candidate" and would not vote with 1%
  84. "Someone else" with 4%; unsure with 3%
  85. Undecided with 8%; "Other" with 3%; would not vote with 2%
  86. "Undecided/refused" with 5.8%; "some other candidate" with 1.8%
  87. "Refused" with 1%; Undecided with 7%
  88. "Refused" with 0%; Undecided with 9%
  89. "Refused" with 0%; Undecided with 13%
  90. Undecided with 9%; "Would not vote/would not vote for US Senate" with 2%
  91. "Refused" with 1%; Undecided with 10%
  92. Undecided with 14%, refused with 2%
  93. "Other" with 6%; "Refused" with 0%; Undecided with 4%
  94. "Another candidate" with 5%; Undecided with 9%
  95. "Undecided/Refused" with 6%
  96. Undecided with 13%
  97. Undecided with 14%
  98. "Neither candidate or other candidate" with 12%
  99. "Undecided/Don't know/Refused" with 6%
  100. "Other" with 5%; "Refused" with 0%; Undecided with 6%
  101. "Undecided/Don't know/Refused" with 14%
  102. "Other" with 10%; "Refused" with 0%; Undecided with 7%
Partisan clients
  1. The Justice Collaborative Project is an affiliate of the Tides Centre, a liberal fiscal sponsorship provider
  2. The American Greatness PAC, this poll's sponsor, is pro-Trump.
  3. This poll's sponsor, Democrats for Education Reform, exclusively supports Democratic candidates.
  4. Poll sponsored by the American Action Network, a conservative advocacy group.
  5. Poll sponsored by the Defend Students Action Fund.
  6. Poll sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign which has endorsed Biden prior to this poll's sampling period.
  7. Poll sponsored by the McSally campaign
  8. Poll sponsored by AARP.
  9. Heritage Action is the sister organization of the Heritage Foundation, which exclusively endorses Republican candidates
  10. This poll's sponsor is the American Principles Project, a 501 that supports the Republican Party.
  11. Polling was sponsored by OANN.
  12. This poll's sponsor, 314 Action, had endorsed Kelly prior to the sampling period
  13. Poll sponsored by the Defend Students Action Fund.

References

  1. "What happens next to John McCain's Senate seat". Politico. August 25, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  2. Sanchez, Yvonne Wingett (December 14, 2018). "Jon Kyl will resign from the U.S. Senate on Dec. 31, setting up another appointment by Ducey to John McCain's seat". Arizona Republic. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  3. Sanchez, Yvonne Wingett; Hansen, Ronald J. (December 18, 2018). "Martha McSally will be appointed to John McCain's Senate seat". Arizona Republic. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  4. Sinema defeats McSally in Arizona Senate race – CNN Video, November 13, 2018, retrieved April 16, 2020
  5. Amber Phillips (September 16, 2020), "The Senate seats most likely to flip in November", The Washington Post, archived from the original on September 16, 2020
  6. Fedschun, Travis (September 4, 2018). "Jon Kyl named to succeed John McCain in the Senate". Fox News. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  7. Isenstadt, Alex. "Arizona Governor to Appoint Martha McSally to Senate". Politico. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  8. "Who could be appointed to John McCain's Senate seat?". azcentral. August 24, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  9. Conradis, Brandon (August 26, 2018). "Arizona governor faces pressure over McCain replacement". The Hill. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  10. "Meghan McCain would be a great Senate replacement for her father". Washington Examiner. August 27, 2018. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  11. Katie Reilly; Philip Elliott (August 26, 2018). "Here's What Happens to John McCain's Senate Seat". Time. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
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  13. Schor, Elana (November 13, 2018). "Kyl: No decision on how long to serve in Senate". Politico. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  14. KTAR.com, KTAR.com (March 26, 2019). "Martha McSally confirms 2020 Senate run, likely to face Democrat Mark Kelly". KTAR. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
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Further reading

Official campaign websites


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