PHOENIX — Trailing in the public opinion polls, Republican Sen. Martha McSally mounted a relentless offensive Tuesday night against Democrat Mark Kelly in the first and only televised debate of their U.S. Senate campaign.
It was the only chance for Arizona voters to compare and contrast the two candidates side-by-side before statewide voting starts Wednesday in the general election.
The tone for the debate was set with the first question: How does McSally think the Trump administration has handled COVID-19?
McSally’s answer went in a different direction.
“My opponent is claiming that he’s not a politician and not even a Democrat. But that’s counterfeit,” McSally said.
“The truth is he’s bought and paid for by (Senate Minority Leader) Chuck Schumer and he’s sold out to China in multiple business arrangements on his path to get rich quick.”
Taking a page from President Donald Trump, McSally gave her opponent a nickname - “Counterfeit Kelly” - and repeated it over and over.
Kelly responded by recalling McSally’s attack on Democrat Kyrsten Sinema during their Senate debate two years ago in the same downtown Phoenix venue. McSally accused Sinema of treason.
“It didn’t take long for the senator to attack my patriotism. She did that last election cycle with Sen. Sinema I thought after two years we’d see a different Sen. McSally. But the same Sen. McSally has shown up.”
Sinema defeated McSally in 2018; Gov. Doug Ducey appointed McSally to Sen. John McCain’s vacant seat a month later.
The two former combat pilots were separated by a plexiglass barrier as they took questions from four journalists over 90 minutes. The debate was sponsored by the Arizona Republic and Arizona’s public TV and radio stations.
The McSally-Kelly race could help decide which party controls the U.S. Senate.
The McSally campaign has been on the attack against Kelly for several months in TV ads, but they haven’t dented his standing in the polls.
McSally has trailed Kelly in 30 out of 31 statewide polls this year. Polling averages show Kelly up more than six points, 49% to 43%.
TV and radio ad spending for the general election totals $67.9 million, according to Advertising Analytics.
Kelly and Democratic allies have spent $39.3 million (including $18.8 million from Kelly’s campaign), versus $28.6 million for McSally and her GOP allies (including $9.4 million from McSally’s campaign).
In Kelly’s first ever political debate, the former space shuttle commander parried most of McSally’s attacks, saying he’d bring independent leadership to the Senate and work in the best interests of Arizonans.
McSally tried repeatedly to put Kelly on the spot.
Here’s their exchange on the president’s coronavirus response:
- McSally: Do you agree with the president’s decision to ban travel from china?
- Kelly: Yes, but senator you would understand this as a pilot. You did Step 1 of the emergency procedure, and then you didn’t do anything else.”
McSally was an Air Force combat pilot; Kelly flew combat jets in the Navy.
Kelly again declined to say whether he’d support ending the filibuster in the Senate. He was also unclear on how he would pay for a public option for health insurance.
McSally’s relationship with Trump caused some awkward moments.
Trump put the spotlight on her at a 2018 campaign rally in Mesa. Seven months ago at a rally in Phoenix, he praised McSally as someone who “didn’t wobble” during his impeachment trial.
During their debate, Kelly questioned why she hadn’t spoken up when Trump insulted John McCain.
McSally responded that she had asked the president to stop.
“It pisses me off when he does it," McSally said.
But McSally struggled mightily with this question from moderator Ted Simons: Are you proud of your support for Trump?
Simons posed the question four times, and appeared satisfied after the fourth time that McSally had answered.
