Kyrsten Sinema congratulates Mark Kelly on Senate win

PHOENIX — First-term U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema sent a congratulatory statement to fellow Democrat Mark Kelly on Wednesday morning.

The Associated Press called Kelly as the victor of the state’s senate special election over Republican incumbent Martha McSally just before 1 a.m. Arizona time on Wednesday.

Sinema, who defeated McSally in 2018, called Kelly’s victory over her former opponent the result of shedding partisanship for the good of the state.

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— Kyrsten Sinema (@kyrstensinema) November 4, 2020

“Continuing a long tradition, Arizonans again chose independent leadership in electing our new U.S. Senator,” Sinema’s statement said.

“I congratulate Mark on his victory and on the campaign he ran — a campaign focused on issues that matter to Arizonans and how to get results for our state, rejecting the petty politics of name-calling and false personal attacks.”

Sinema’s statement also praised Kelly for his steadfast commitment to bipartisanship, saying he’ll do what it takes for Arizonans of all backgrounds.

“I am confident Mark will uphold the Arizona values of seeking common ground and putting country above party,” Sinema said. “I look forward to partnering with him to cut through Washington dysfunction to deliver for everyday Arizonans, and I thank Martha McSally for her service.”

Kelly has an advantage of more than 144,000 votes over McSally, as of 9 a.m. Wednesday, with the former astronaut holding onto a 5.2% advantage over the incumbent Republican.

The winner of this year’s race will serve out the remainder of late Sen. John McCain’s tenure in Washington D.C., which ends in 2022.

A Kelly victory would give Democrats two senators in the Grand Canyon State for the fourth time overall, and the first time since 1953, when Carl T. Hayden and Ernest W. McFarland represented the state.

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