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Five Takeaways From the Arizona Senate Debate


PHOENIX – It’s a battle over whether Arizona remains the conservative-leaning state of Barry Goldwater and John McCain.

Senator Mark Kelly faced his Republican challenger, Blake Masters, on Thursday in the first and only debate of the race that will help decide whether Democrats maintain the power. control the Senate, for which they hold very little profit. Mr. Kelly repeatedly emphasized his independent image, frequently referring to his disagreements with members of his party, including President Biden.

The two men have spent months attacking each other on issues including abortion, border security, inflation and election integrity, also starring Marc Victor, the Republican presidential candidate. Liberal, who hasn’t hit double digits in the polls.

The debate barely touched on new ground on the most controversial issues, but the moderators asked clear, direct questions to force the candidates to clarify sometimes unsettled positions. their gloom. Mr Masters has tried to push the line between his previously hardline stances and his recently adopted softer tone – but for the most part continues to play his way, even when it demands a few winks and a nod or two.

Abortion was on the minds of many voters in Arizona, not just after The Supreme Court overturned the Roe and Wade . case this June, but because a state judge revived General ban on abortion since 1864 has been dormant for decades. Abortion, which was already rocking, came to an abrupt halt.

So on Thursday, each candidate tried to paint the other as an abortion extremist. Mr Kelly pointed to claims Mr Masters had called abortion “the devil”, and said Mr Masters wanted to punish doctors and ban abortion in rape cases.

Mr Masters said he was proud to call himself one of the most supportive candidates running for the Senate, and was quick to make the misleading allegation that Mr Kelly was in favor of late abortions. bloom. In fact, abortions at the end of pregnancy are rare and often occur due to serious health problems during an unwanted pregnancy.

Faced with the direct question of whether Mr Masters believes the 2020 vote has been stolen, he appears to have blinked. He talked about the collusion between tech companies, the media and the FBI to crack down on negative news about Hunter, the son of President Biden.

“But no vote counting, no election results?” asked the moderator, Ted Simons, an Arizona PBS host.

“Yes, I have not seen proof of that,” Mr. Masters replied.

During the Republican primaries, Masters won endorsements from former President Donald J. Trump and wooed conservatives by spreading fake news that the 2020 election had been scrapped. stolen and Mr. Trump is the legitimate winner.

But some of that language has been removed from his campaign website since Mr Masters entered the general election, where such conspiracy theories don’t appeal to independent voters who believe Arizona’s popular mail-in voting system or simply want to move on.

Mr. Kelly said the sale of Mr. Masters’ “conspiracy theory” was undermining American democracy.

“I worry about what will happen here in this election and in 2024,” he said. “We could end up in a situation where the wheels come off our democracy.”

Political veterans in Arizona believe inflation and the southern border are the two most powerful Republican issues, and Masters has dealt with both early and often. He painted a Dante-esque picture of the border – surrounded by cartels, overflowing with fentanyl and open to millions of “illegals” to sweep through.

“Joe Biden and Mark Kelly, they rolled out the welcome mat,” Masters said. “They have surrendered to our southern border. They gave it to the Mexican drug cartels. “

Crosses at the southern border have risen to their highest levels in decades as migrants flee gangs and political and economic turmoil in Venezuela, Central America and elsewhere. Many of these migrants are applying directly to US authorities to bring their cases in immigration courts.

Mr. Kelly called the border “a mess” of chaos and crisis, but said he worked to get money for more Border Patrol agents and technology to screen drugs at ports of entry. .

Like other Republicans in the Southwest, Masters frequently used California as a sort of banknote, making the state a foothold for liberalism to go wild. And a reliable way to anger residents in other parts of the West? Make the point that the nation’s most populous state – which is in a state of near-constant drought – is drawing too much water from the Colorado River.

“I’m tired of Senator Kelly acting like the third senator from California,” Masters said on stage Thursday, echoing a measure of restraint he’s implemented throughout the campaign. “We need someone there with a sharp elbow who will fight for our water.”

“Why did California even put its own straw in the Colorado River?” he added, arguing that the state should instead rely on desalination and the Pacific Ocean.

Unspoken is a more basic implied attack: Mr. Masters is the defender of the state; Mr. Kelly is merely a libertarian in disguise.

The vast majority of voters will have a hard time naming Mr. Victor – he has struggled to raise funds or attract media attention. But he stood firm on Thursday night, insisting that the moderator allow him to answer all the same questions as Mr. Kelly and Mr. Masters.

For the most part, Mr. Victor has taken a predictable Liberal approach to their entire family, and portrays himself as an outsider who will not respect the President. Biden or Mr. Trump. And there may be an audience receptive to that message: About a third of Arizona’s voters are not registered as Republicans or Democrats, and many consider themselves moderates or self-described. describe himself as a libertarian.

Mr. Victor could easily attract enough voters to act as some sort of trophy for Mr. Masters, denying him just enough votes to push Mr. Kelly over the edge. Indeed, at some point during the debate, Mr. Victor attacked Mr. Masters for swaying his position and jumping to Mr. Kelly’s defense.

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