Martha McSally greets supporters on election night in Tempe, Ariz., after winning the Republican Senate primary, August 28, 2018. (Nicole Neri/Reuters)

Representative Martha McSally (R., Ariz.) handily beat state senator Kelli Ward and former Maricopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio with more than 50 percent of the vote in the Arizona Republican Senate primary on Tuesday night.

McSally, a former Air Force colonel, was widely considered the establishment favorite and Republicans’ best chance for victory in the upcoming general election.


The candidacies of Arpaio, the outspoken anti-immigration activist pardoned by President Trump earlier this year, and Ward, who courted controversy by appearing on conspiracy-mongering Internet programs such as Alex Jones’s Infowars, represented a swing toward the far-right populism of the Trump era.

In an effort to avoid the selection of a candidate considered toxic among the general electorate, out-of-state GOP groups donated heavily to McSally’s campaign. DefendArizona, a PAC established by establishment Republicans specifically to prevent a populist insurgency, spent more than $4 million to ensure her victory.

Trump, who declined to endorse a candidate in the race, celebrated McSally’s victory in a tweet on Wednesday morning and praised the congresswoman for rejecting Arizona senator Jeff Flake’s endorsement.


“Martha McSally, running in the Arizona Primary for U.S. Senate, was endorsed by rejected Senator Jeff Flake….and turned it down – a first! Now Martha, a great U.S. Military fighter jet pilot and highly respected member of Congress, WINS BIG. Congratulations, and on to November!” the president tweeted.

McSally began her victory speech with a moment of silence for Arizona senator John McCain, who passed away Saturday.


“It’s difficult to celebrate anything this week,” McSally told supporters, before pivoting to attacking the Democratic primary victor, Representative Kyrsten Sinema, whom she will face in November.

“This is how I see this campaign,” McSally said. “It’s a choice between a doer and a talker. Between a patriot and a protester.”

Ward supporters preemptively blamed her defeat on Arpaio’s candidacy, anticipating that his entry into the race would split the state’s most conservative and immigration-minded voters.

“If Sheriff Joe was not in the race Kelli Ward would beat Martha McSally by 20 points,” Eric Beach, Ward’s chief strategist, told the Washington Times last week.

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