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Democrat Mark Kelly WINS Arizona re-election and defeats Trump-backed Blake Masters – putting Democrats one seat away from control of the Senate
- Mark Kelly, a 58-year-old former NASA astronaut who has flown into space four times, has been Arizona’s senator since 2020 — he takes John McCain’s seat
- On Friday night, Kelly was declared the winner of the midterm elections, beating his Republican opponent Blake Masters, a 36-year-old venture capitalist.
- Kelly’s win means Democrats need only claim one more seat in the Senate to retain control of Congress: Nevada and Georgia have yet to be convened
- In Nevada, with 94 percent of the vote counted, Republican nominee, Adam Laxalt, had 48.5 percent, while Catherine Cortez Masto had 48.4 percent.
- Georgia’s result will be decided in a second round on December 6
Mark Kelly has been re-elected to the Arizona Senate, a crucial victory for Democrats and another blow to Donald Trump.
Kelly, a former NASA astronaut whose former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head and survived, defeated Republican venture capitalist Blake Masters.
“Thank you, Arizona,” he tweeted Friday night.
News now places his side one win away from clinch control the room for the next two years of Joe Biden’s presidency.
With the casting vote of Vice President Kamala Harris, Democrats can retain control of the Senate by either Nevada racewho is still too early to call, or next month’s discharge in Georgia.
In Nevada, with 94 percent of the vote counted, Republican nominee Adam Laxalt had 48.5 percent, while his Democratic rival Catherine Cortez Masto had 48.4 percent.
Republicans now need to win both races to gain the majority.
Mark Kelly has been re-elected to the Senate, representing Arizona. His win means Democrats are just one victory away — Nevada or Georgia — from controlling the Senate for the rest of Joe Biden’s term
Kelly defeated Trump-backed Republican venture capitalist Blake Masters
GOP challenger Adam Laxalt (left) is fractionally ahead of Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (right) in the Nevada Senate race. If she wins, the Democrats will retain control of the Senate
The Arizona race is one of the few contests the Republicans have targeted in their bid to take control of the 50-50 Senate.
It was a test of the breakthrough Kelly and other Democrats have made in a state once reliably dominated by the GOP.
Kelly’s win suggests Democratic Success in Arizona was not an aberration during Donald Trump’s presidency.
Other Arizona games, including the closely watched race for governor between Democrat Katie Hobbs and Republican Kari Lake, were too early to call Friday night.
Kelly, who has flown into space four times, is married to Giffords, who inspired the nation with her recovery from a gunshot wound to the head in a 2011 assassination attempt that killed six people and injured 13.
Kelly and Giffords continued with co-founder of a gun safety advocacy group.
Kelly’s victory in a 2020 special election spurred on by the death of Republican Senator John McCain, Democrats gave both Arizona Senate seats for the first time in 70 years.
The shift was driven by the state’s rapidly changing demographics and Trump’s unpopularity.