As Pennsylvania and Wisconsin candidates gear up for the 2022 Senate elections, the 2022 Arizona Senate elections race is also getting traction.
Democrat Mark Kelly, who won this seat in a 2020 special election with a majority of 51.2% of the votes, currently holds the Arizona Senate seat.
Republican John McCain, who died in 2018 while serving his second term in the Senate, originally won Arizona in the 2016 elections.
The former United States Senator Jon Kyl was appointed to fill the vacant seat but resigned at the end of the year.
Kyl was replaced with Representative Martha McSally, who ultimately lost the seat to Democrat Mark Kelly in the special election.
As the competition gets more challenging every passing day, what are the stakes of both the parties in the race? Let’s see.
Senator Mark Kelly: The Only Prominent Democratic Candidate Until Now
From Democrats, Senator Mark Kelly is, once again, likely to win the nomination, as no other Arizona Democrat has made a convincing bid until now.
Kelly has also won endorsements from different organizations, including Let America Vote and End Citizens United.
However, Mark Kelly should not relax yet, as new Democrats can join the race any time soon.
Fractured Republicans Battling for a Tough Competitor
Republicans are primarily looking between Jim Lamon and Robert Paveza for the 2022 Arizona Senate elections. Jim Lamon is a solar power executive, and Robert Paveza is a software engineer.
Many other Republicans have either shown interest in the 2022 Arizona Senate elections or are considering doing so. These wannabe Republican candidates include:
- Andy Biggs, Representative from the 5th congressional district of Arizona
- Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich
- Paul Gosar, Representative from the 4th Congressional District of Arizona
- Michael McGuire, who served as the Adjutant General of the Arizona National Guard
- Kirk Adams, Former Speaker of Arizona House of Representative
- Kelli Ward, the chair of the Arizona Republican Party.
- Doug Ducey, Governor of Arizona
- Kimberly Yee, State Treasurer of Arizona, who will also run for Governor
Mark Kelly: A Probable Win for the 2022 Arizona Senate Elections
Senator Mark Kelly is eyeing for another term in the United States Senate. Kelly has raised nearly $4.4 million during the first quarter of his reelection campaign fundraising.
Senator Kelly entered the Senate by defeating Martha McSally in the special election from Arizona.
Kelly is a former NASA astronaut and husband of Gabby Giffords, who has served in the United States House of Representatives.
He is also the co-founder of Americans for Responsible Solution, an advocacy group that strives for strict gun laws and supports common-sense protection from guns.
Due to his alignment with the anti-gun narrative, his election will be a great addition to the Democrats’ perspective in the Senate.
Jim Lamon: The First Republican to Start his Campaign
Jim Lamon is the first Republican candidate to express his interest in the 2022 Arizona Senate elections. Lamon is an entrepreneur working with solar energy-related businesses and is gearing up to grab the Senate seat.
This will be the first time that Lamon will run for office. He announced his bid in a video message to introduce himself as a Washington outsider and a businessman.
The head of DepCom Power has also served in Germany during the Cold War and plans to run with a combination of his earned fortune and some help from donors.
Arizona Attorney General: A Probable Candidate of Republicans
Attorney General Mark Brnovich is also considering running for the Senate seat in Arizona against incumbent Senator Mark Kelly.
The Arizona Attorney General has still not formally announced his bid but is expected to do so during the summer for the 2022 Arizona Senate elections.
Due to his widespread political support, he is likely to win the Republican primary. Brnovich has won two statewide elections from Arizona, which means he could survive the Republican primary and is most likely to face Kelly in the Senate race of 2022.
Arizona: A Fierce Competition is Expected
Democratic Senator Mark Kelly has already raised $4.4 million in the first quarter of his reelection campaign fund, which should concern Republicans enough.
Millions of dollars flooded into the state during the special election, and things are likely to be the same this time.
Political Strategists believe that Trump has made the state more competitive for the 2022 and 2024 Senate race by alienating the GOP-leaning voters in the suburbs, especially Maricopa County.
Mark Kelly won the state with a slight majority, which shows that Arizona is far from becoming a deep blue state.
Many believe that Democrats’ efforts for voter turnout are one of the main reasons behind the Democratic victory in Arizona and many other red states. Republicans will have to devise a new strategy if they want to curb the Democratic influence in the state.
Final Thoughts
Democratic Senator Mark Kelly won the state just a few months back with a slight majority, the same way Biden won the state in the presidential elections.
The Grand Canyon state was under Republican control for a long time, and after the death of John McCain, it seems that Republicans are losing their grip.
Mark Kelly is looking forward to winning a full six-year term from Arizona, while Republicans are still confused about the candidates.
Republicans might go for a late primary, which could provide an advantage to Kelly to reach as many voters as possible without any Republican campaigning going on.
A fractured Republican Party without an obvious candidate is a plus point that could again help Kelly enter the Senate.
Eli is a Political Data Scientist with over thirty years of experience in Data Engineering, Analytics, and Digital Marketing. Eli uses his expertise to give the latest information and distinctive analysis on US Political News, US Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, and Racial Justice equipping readers with the inequivalent knowledge.