Mark Kelly widens lead over Sen. Martha McSally in Arizona poll

PHOENIX – Over half of likely Arizona voters surveyed said they’d choose political newcomer Mark Kelly over current seatholder Sen. Martha McSally in their race, according to a poll released Wednesday.

Kelly, a Democrat, led McSally 51%-42% in the OH Predictive Insights survey of 600, with 7% undecided.

The cellphone-landline poll of 600 contacted April 7-8 had a margin of error of 4%.

“The good news for McSally is that the election is not for another seven months and she has plenty of time to impress voters,” chief pollster Mike Noble said in a press release.

In a similar poll of likely Arizona voters taken in March, Kelly led McSally 49%-42%.

“The only poll that matters is on Election Day,” McSally told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show, hours after the survey results came out.

Kelly garnered 86% of the Democrats’ support, while McSally had 84% of Republicans’. Independents landed on Kelly’s side in a big way, at 67% to McSally’s 9%.

McSally also trailed in high favorability, with 26% to 33% for the former astronaut.

The race to fill the two years remaining on John McCain’s term has set a state mark in combined campaign spending at about $49 million.

The numbers surpassed the $48.5 million from Arizona’s 2018 U.S. Senate race between McSally and Democrat Kyrsten Sinema.

In that race, Sinema defeated McSally for the seat vacated by Republican Jeff Flake, who didn’t run for reelection.

McSally said Tuesday she had her best fundraising quarter – January through March – ever, taking in $6.2 million. But Kelly took in $11 million during the same period.

Follow @ktar923