Posted on 01/15/2018 4:45:30 PM PST by Kaslin
The question of who will be the next senator from Arizona, replacing Jeff Flake, is looking less clear than ever this week. For quite a while now it had been looking like Dr. Kelli Ward might have a fairly clear shot at it. She’s the same Tea Party candidate who had been trying to replace John McCain and has quite a following in conservative circles. But now two new flies have dropped into the ointment. In only a week, Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Congresswoman Martha McSally have entered the fray. And the initial polling of this new alignment shows that the primary might be very tight, with Arpaio possibly tanking Ward’s chances. (AOL)
Ward’s pathway to victory was predicated on her ability to consolidate conservatives. Having to now compete for those voters with Arpaio, it’s McSally who looks to benefit from the breach on the right. An OH Predictive Insights poll conducted this week of 504 registered voters found McSally with 31 percent support to Arpaio’s 29 percent. Ward, despite having the longest tenure in the race, was in third with 25 percent. A November poll by the same firm pegged Ward at 42 percent support to McSally’s 34 percent in a two-person contest.
“Sheriff Joe’s entrance into the race probably assures Martha McSally the nomination,” says Bruce Ash, a Republican National Committeeman from Arizona. “It probably splits the vote on Kelli Ward. The primary is probably a little more certain for Martha with Sheriff Joe’s entry.”
Arizona runs their elections fairly late in the cycle, so a two point lead at this stage is basically meaningless. The filing deadline doesn’t even hit until May 30th, so even more people could toss their hats in. And the actual primary election won’t take place until August 28th. That’s an eternity in politics, so the candidates will have plenty of time to make their marks.
I do have to wonder what’s going on in Arizona, though. This is being portrayed as either a litmus test of “Trumpism” or a fight between the establishment and the most conservative ranks, depending who you listen to. Both Ward and Sheriff Joe are vocal Trump supporters, as well as hardliners on immigration, while McSally is being portrayed as being in line with the McConnell “establishment” wing of the party. (Oddly enough, despite the charges against her, McSally votes in line with the Trump agenda 96.7% of the time, well above both Flake and McCain.)
This split on the right doesn’t bode well for anyone and Arpaio entering the race really isn’t any reason to be cheering. Yes, I know that many of you who hold the same positions I do on questions of immigration and law enforcement love Sheriff Joe. But if we’re going to be consistent here, he’s a problematic candidate at best. I was just writing yesterday about how it’s preposterous to consider Chelsea Manning as a Senate candidate because of his convictions for very serious crimes, despite having his sentence commuted by Barack Obama. With that in mind, we should remember that Arpaio is only available to run for this office by virtue of having been pardoned by the President. Is that where we’re setting the bar?
And if you’re not such a big fan of Kelli Ward, should you really be writing off Martha McSally that quickly? We can throw the “establishment” flag all we like, but she’s an experienced legislator who, as I just noted, has an established conservative voting record. She’s a veteran with a more than twenty year record of service as an Air Force pilot. On top of that, she’s got one heck of a set of pipes if the Senate every needs someone to sing at formal events. Have you checked out her rendition of the National Anthem at a recent University of Arizona basketball game?
Rep. McSally Sings National Anthem at UofA Basketball Game
If that’s not impressive enough, she belted out “God Bless America” (an arguably even tougher song to master) at the Arts Express, A Hero’s Salute Concert 2015.
Congresswoman Martha McSally sings "God Bless America"
“McSally is a fake conservative using tough talk to delude voters.
Arpaio should stay out of it so Ward can get it.”
I have to agree. I do not trust McSally at all. I heard that she had a meeting with Jeff Flake a couple of days ago. Not good. I will be supporting Ward.
I KNEW it as soon as Arpaio got in. I knew that would be an automatic vote splitter that would give the nomination to McSally. Dr. Ward has been in this for nearly a year now. Here’s the thing about Arpaio too - Arpaio will struggle to win a general election against a Democrat as he is too controversial. Dr. Ward is a mother, military wife, doctor, and former state senator who not controversial and can win a general. I’ve backed her since before she announced, so this is very disappointing to me.
Republicans tend to do this, though. This is why we got McCain and Romney - conservative vote splittin’.
And backstabbing Republican office holders will help the media stab them in the back, the way Richard Shelby and Jeff Flake did everything they could to help stab Moore in the back.
I think Dr. Ward can win a general - she’s a smart, successful woman. There isn’t anything controversial about her. Plus, she fully supports Trump.
Moore lost mostly because of the media, but also to a substantial degree because Republicans stabbed him in the back.
I knew it immediately too. It’s a shame. Dr. Ward has worked so hard for this.
What the Moore loss taught us is that we have too many people in the party who cannot wait to stab any reformer in the back. Richard Shelby and Jeff Flake deliberately stabbed Moore in the back, and it is their treasonous acts which cost us that election.
Yes, he did.
He could not overcome Soros money and Democrat cheating!
HST, he should stay out of this one.
We can only hope that Colonel McSally’s false conservative “credentials” will torpedo her candidacy.
RINO, Anti-Trump alert!
You are absolutely right. We must make sure we select candidates that the Democrats can't make up lies about!
And once more we have someone repeating that F***ing lie that the establishment has been spreading to cover for their deliberate backstabbing.
Moore was a good candidate. He was 20 points ahead in the polls before the Democrat lie machine started smearing him, and before those Washington DC bastards like Richard Shelby and Jeff Flake tag teamed their backstabbing of him.
Rather than Sex accusations against Moore, they would have thrown corruption accusations against Strange.
And the establishment people did everything they could to stab all of these people (and Chris McDaniel) in the back. You need to put the blame where it belongs, and that is on the Washington establishment deliberately opposing reform candidates.
The only thing you need to learn about the Republican backstabbing Fiasco in Alabama is that the establishment will help the enemy destroy reformer candidates, and that the enemy controls too much media power.
Beyond that, there are no lessons that need to be learned in Alabama. What we need to do is teach a few lessons to the traitorous bastards in our own party like Richard Shelby and Jeff Flake. (And Mitch McConnell.)
What happened in Alabama was that the Democrat Media complex rounded up a couple of kooks to make unprovable accusations against a Republican reform candidate, and the establishment Republicans helped them to destroy the reformer candidate, even going so far as urging people to vote for the Democrat over unproven accusations.
But you, I and some others already know this, and we just can't seem to get through to the people who think they know what happened in Alabama.
Apologies to all! If Free republic is down. Very Sorry!
However please note: Lisbon1940
Is a troll. A damned subtle one but she is. Look at the hints in here posts over time. Fits the Cass Sunstien mold to a tee. Soft molding and coercion.
Her only post to me had nothing to do with the topic.
To: foundedonpurpose
The idea that religions can be compared is contrary to Christian teaching.
31 posted on 1/15/2018, 9:32:06 PM by Lisbon1940 (No full-term Governors (at the time of election!)
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Link here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3622761/posts
Sorry for sending this to many. Since trying to respond I have not been able to pull up the FR site, just pings to get names and send! Watch your selves.
Founded
I appreciate and accept your view regarding Moore.
It’s just so hard to live with the fact that we lost a senate seat in such a reliably conservative state.
I simply pray that the GOP forces don’t self-destruct again, heading toward the midterms.
Having Shelby publicly admit to writing-in someone else was particularly egregious.
Also, kind of hoping, too, that history may repeat itself.
Remember, Shelby was once a democrat (the last one before Jones elected in Alabama) and he converted to GOP.
Perhaps, Jones, eyeing his reelection, will moderate and even contemplate changing parties like Shelby did.
Finally, cannot wait to see that fiendish Flake leave!!!
You might consider me one of the idiots who runs their mouth about Luther Strange.
The interesting thing to me was that all he had to do was turn down the governor’s offer of the Senate seat and continue to investigate Bentley.
He would have been a hero in Alabama and could have written his own ticket. Up to that point of selling out he was a popular AG.
I personally thought he had a little GF problem but that’s just because I know people that know him.
It was probably well-hidden enough that he could have skated into any office he wanted to hold state-wide.
He could have launched from there to run for the Senate honestly.
He could have been a contender.
Personally I have always liked Judge Moore and have met him once in Montgomery and enjoyed a conversation with Moore, Alan Keyes and Flip Benham.
But now, we’ll all have to deal with the hand we were dealt.
Well thank you for that. A lot of people refuse to even acknowledge that I have a valid point regarding how our side did him dirty, and many of these people simply repeat the same ole refrain that the establishment says every time they help the media screw one of our candidates. Mo Brooks was probably the best candidate, but I cannot help but think a lot of Alabaman's loved Moore's defiance of the Federal Courts, and wanted some of that in Washington DC.
Once again, the interests of Washington DC and the courtier class are protected, while the interests of the Nation are sold down the river.
I simply pray that the GOP forces don’t self-destruct again, heading toward the midterms.
Yes, me too. I would hope that Arpaio becomes aware that he cannot win, and leaves the race. So far, Ward seems the best choice, but as usual, it seems like everything is trying to interfere with getting the best candidates into a position.
Runoffs should be a requirement in every election in which someone doesn't achieve at least 50% of the vote.
Here's hoping we don't end up with the worst of all possible choices after everyone has finished their maneuvering.
No no no. I meant the people who keep saying "They should have picked Luther Strange!" I've talked to a lot of people who did not know about the scandal involving Strange dropping the investigation of the governor. They think he would have just walked right into the seat without a fight, but they underestimate how badly the media/democrat complex wanted that seat, and how damaged of a candidate Luther Strange was/is.
I personally thought he had a little GF problem but that’s just because I know people that know him.
I think the two things together, and perhaps other things which would have been uncovered and of which we are currently unaware, would have likely made him vulnerable against the Democrat. The Democrat/Media complex and the Democrat wealthy class so badly wanted that seat that they would have done anything of which they could think to get it, and as we have seen, they aren't above making up lies to damage an opponent.
Personally I have always liked Judge Moore and have met him once in Montgomery and enjoyed a conversation with Moore, Alan Keyes and Flip Benham.
I've never met Judge Moore, but i've read a lot about him, and I have always respected and enjoyed the manner in which he deliberately defied the Federal Courts and others who would enable Federal court tyranny against the people.
It is exactly that sort of defiant attitude we need in Washington.
But I have met Alan Keyes and I think he is pretty awesome.
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