McSally campaign on Arizona Republic cartoon: ‘Despicable’

A political cartoon from the Arizona Republic’s Steve Benson that targets U.S. Senate candidate Martha McSally has drawn the ire of McSally’s campaign.

The cartoon, published in Sunday’s newspaper, shows McSally’s opponent, Kyrsten Sinema, shooting down a McSally-manned plane of “shallow attacks” with a “substance” cannon and a thumbs up.

McSally, an Air Force veteran, was the first female fighter pilot to fly in combat.

“This cartoon is despicable,” McSally’s campaign said in a statement. “Martha McSally was combat-deployed and served 26 years in uniform. She put her life on the line for our country. Getting shot down isn’t a political punchline, it’s a reality our service members face every day.

“This is another example of liberal elitists sitting in their cushy downtown Phoenix offices publishing their out-of-touch media bias and forcing it upon their readers.”

McSally, a Republican, and Sinema, a Democrat, have engaged in attack ads throughout the lead up to the Nov. 6 election.

The Republic on Sunday endorsed Sinema as the choice to replace the outgoing Jeff Flake and cited McSally’s continued use of attack ads compared to Sinema’s as a major reason why.

“McSally has hurled a near-steady stream of attacks against Sinema – and unapologetically so,” the editorial said. “Because to McSally, this is how you play the game. It shouldn’t be.”

McSally’s campaign statement also attacks Synema and her character.

“If the Arizona Republic thinks these are just ‘shallow attacks,’ they should dive deeper into Kyrsten’s record and do the research themselves instead of regurgitating Sinema campaign talking points,” the statement said.

The Arizona Republic hadn’t responded to the McSally campaign’s statement as of Sunday night.

“Some advice for the liberal hacks at the Arizona Republic — try just reporting the facts instead of opinion,” McSally’s campaign statement said.

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