National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Steve Stivers said Friday that Republicans are already in better shape than Democrats in Rep. Martha McSally’s competitive district even without an incumbent.
“Currently, Democrats are duking it out in a five-way primary for this Republican-leaning seat. Nancy Pelosi has made it clear she wants a loyal foot soldier to replace McSally. The NRCC is happy to expose this liberal fantasy and keep this seat in GOP hands,” Mr. Stivers, Ohio Republican, said in a statement.
Former Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick is among the Democratic candidates running to replace her. She previously represented Arizona’s first congressional district, but decided to run against Sen. John McCain in 2016. She lost by 13 points.
Ms. McSally, Arizona Republican, currently represents Arizona’s second congressional district, which stretches from Tucson to part of the U.S.-Mexico border. Cook Political Report currently has the race as a toss-up.
The district went for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential race by 5 points, but Ms. McSally easily won her re-election by 14 points that same year.
Ms. McSally announced her official Senate bid in a video Friday telling Republicans in Washington to “grow a pair of ovaries.”
“I absolutely refused to bow down to Sharia law. After 8 years of fighting, I won my battle for the religious freedom of American service women. Now, I’m deployed to D.C. to fight for Arizona,” Ms. McSally said in the video.
“That’s why I told Washington Republicans to grow a pair of ovaries to get the job done,” she added.
Ms. McSally is the third candidate to jump into the Republican primary to replace Sen. Jeff Flake, who announced his plan to retire citing political polarization in Washington.
• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.
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