If currently polling holds, Democrats are going to turn the state of Arizona blue, and longtime dominant Republicans in the state fear it might be a permanent situation.
"Republicans are playing defense, and [Democrats] really could be handed the ball here," veteran Arizona GOP strategist Chuck Coughlin told Politico.
"It's Republicans' own fault this is happening," he added. "It's their unwillingness to govern. They've always been the party that wants to put together electoral coalitions to address policy issues. And under the party of Trump, you're just vilifying people, not coming up with ideas."
Arizona has long been a state for conservative Republicans like Barry Goldwater, but it has also proved to be a state rejecting President Donald Trump. Former Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., was a leading never-Trumper, as was the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
Now, Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., is struggling in her race against Democrat Mark Kelly, a former astronaut. He is also the husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz., who was shot in a mass shooting and has since become a leading gun control advocate.
A Kelly victory would put both of Arizona's Senate seats in Democrat hands for the first time in more than 50 years, thanks to never-Trumpers Flake and McCain.
"Like Sen. John McCain would say, 'It's always darkest before it's totally black,' and, in this case, black is blue. I hope the party will do some soul-reflecting," Coughlin told Politico.
A Republican presidential candidate has not lost Arizona since former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., in 1996.
"Trump really sped this up and gave [moderates and independents] a good reason to move away from the Republican Party," Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., told Politico.
Never-Trump Republicans are seeking to elect more Democrats to spite Trump.
"The Republican Party needs to understand that there's a large number of us voting Democrat all down the ballot because of Trump, and they need to realize that their choice to blindly follow him will impact the state politics," a never-Trump Republican who leads a PAC backing Joe Biden, Daniel Barker, told Politico.
"We need to change direction."
Never-Trump Republicans might be permanently handing Arizona to Democrats.
"I don't think anyone would've guessed three years ago there'd be a battleground for control of the lower and upper chamber" of the Arizona state legislature, GOP pollster Mike Noble told Politico. "It's mind-blowing.
"Right now, Arizona is a battleground primarily due to the suburban shift," he added.
"It's really not a red state like Alabama, but an independent state when it comes to the electorate."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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