Democrats wins Arizona and Arizona remains close

• Sen. Mark Kelly’s win in Arizona leaves Democrats one seat away from keeping control of the US Senate.
• If they win Nevada, where Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is gaining steam on Republican Adam Laxalt, they may pass the 50-seat threshold.
• The Republican National Committee and Arizona Republican Party are criticizing Maricopa County’s election management.

Sen. Mark Kelly’s win in Arizona leaves Democrats one seat away from keeping control of the US Senate as all eyes turn to Nevada.

Kelly’s victory concluded a night of Democratic victories as West Coast votes were still being tabulated.

Kelly defeated venture investor Blake Masters, who had repeated Trump’s 2020 assertions.

Democrats need to gain one seat to regain control of the Senate from Republicans (with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie breaking vote). If they win Nevada, where Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is gaining steam on Republican Adam Laxalt, the state’s former attorney general who declared the 2020 presidential election “rigged” and launched lawsuits on Trump’s behalf to invalidate Biden’s victory, they may pass the 50-seat threshold.

The Nevada Senate election has been in limbo for months, yet it may determine each candidate’s influence. Media forecasts a December 6 runoff in Georgia between Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker.

The House’s power balance remains unclear. Even if Republicans win, it will be by a lower margin than GOP leaders expected.

Republican leaders, especially House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who expected to become the next House majority leader, have apologized and second-guessed themselves.

The Democratic gains on Friday night marked a surprising turnaround for a party in peril before Tuesday’s elections.

President Joe Biden’s dismal approval ratings, inflation and rising gas prices pinching families’ budgets, and historical trends that result in significant losses in a new president’s first midterm cycle made it tough for Kelly and Cortez Masto to win.

The Supreme Court’s June decision to maintain abortion rights outraged many Americans, complicating this election year.

Trump’s support for far-right candidates hurt Republicans by alienating swing votes.

Many independent and moderate voters rejected candidates they deemed too extreme or too close to Trump. Meanwhile, Democrats defended their incumbents.

In the last days of the election, prominent Democrats, including former President Barack Obama, flew into Arizona. Masters lost. Arizona voters rejected Mark Finchem’s bid for chief elections officer.

Trump likes Finchem’s election skepticism. As predicted by the media Friday night, they’ll chose Democrat Adrian Fontes.

In Nevada, voters chose Republican Joe Lombardo to succeed Democrat Steve Sisolak. Lombardo reminded voters of these challenges when Nevada’s unemployment reached to 30% during Covid-19.

Despite the improving economy, Lombardo said Sisolak’s initiatives hindered the state’s economic recovery.

Some Republicans, including Masters, are stirring up trouble about ballot counting in Maricopa County, Arizona.

They say some ballots were mishandled, causing an incorrect count. Kari Lake and Masters have complained about the slow count.

Phoenix is in Arizona’s largest county, Maricopa. Masters called Lake’s counting process “incompetent” on Friday, citing a printer issue that prevented some ballots from being properly tabulated on Tuesday, despite election officials’ statements that the problem was fixed within hours.

Masters said the county mixed uncounted and counted ballots. The RNC and AZRP said the election “revealed major weaknesses in Maricopa County’s election management.” Arizona needs openness, clarity, efficiency, and a fast, accurate release of election results that all voters can embrace.

Maricopa County Elections Department spokeswoman: “Redundancies ensure each legitimate ballot is counted once.”

Because ballots are tabulated by batch, we can isolate results from specific locations and compare them to check-ins.

This has been done for decades with party observers present, the official stated.

Bill Gates, chair of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, rejected Masters’ offer to start counting anew, saying it’s “not allowed under Arizona law.” Gates said the county’s ballot-counting speed is similar to other years.

When asked about RNC claims, Gates indicated he’d rather hear them directly. Republican My three Republican board mates. Instead of making unfounded claims, raise them with us, he said.

Gates said, “Let the count continue, and if they have issues to take to court, they have every right to do so.”

Kelly’s financial ability and personal image as the husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords, a retired astronaut, and a Navy veteran put him in a great position to survive Democratic headwinds in 2022, especially in a purple state like Arizona that Joe Biden narrowly won.

Masters, a first-time candidate, was aided financially by his former boss, internet entrepreneur Peter Thiel.

In a 2016 campaign film, he predicted Trump’s 2020 victory. He promised to priorities immigration to win over Republicans.

Masters appeared to temper his tone about 2020 election outcomes and the conservative abortion viewpoints he had sought out throughout the race.

Independents often decide close elections in Arizona, when a majority of voters are Republicans.

Masters erased references to electoral theft after winning the August primary.

Masters denied any election or vote-counting fraud during a debate with Kelly. Kelly said during the debate and campaign that election sceptics like Masters may “fall off our democracy.”

Masters reversed course after Trump urged him to “go stronger” on election denial, a conversation captured in a Fox documentary. Masters told the media in the final week of the campaign that moderates weren’t disturbed by his 2020 comments. He said voters were more concerned about inflation, crime, and the border.

Kelly portrayed Masters as an outsider who would jeopardies Social Security, Medicare, and abortion rights. Kelly’s campaign emphasized Masters’ anti-abortion views in a state that banned abortion at 15 weeks this year and is working to ban abortion in all circumstances.

Masters supported Sen. Lindsey Graham’s 15-week abortion restriction. This bill exempts rape, incest, and mother’s life.

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