Rep. Martha McSally, a former fighter pilot and the favored pick of the GOP establishment, has won the Republican Senate primary in Arizona, CNN projects.

She defeated former state Sen. Kelli Ward and former Maricopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio.

She'll now face Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema in a marquee match-up for the seat that became vacant when Arizona's other senator and intra-party Trump critic, Jeff Flake, announced he would retire rather than likely lose a primary over his criticism of the President.

Why this matters: Trump didn't endorse, but he gave McSally a shout-out at a recent event at Fort Drum in New York. He noted that McSally is "not only an Air Force veteran, but the first woman ever to fly a fighter jet in combat in US history."

McSally -- who sharply criticized Trump when the "Access Hollywood" tape was released in 2016 -- closely aligned herself with him on issues like immigration during her Senate primary run.

One thing to note: In the race's final days, both Ward and Arpaio set off controversy related to their handling of McCain's illness and death. On Monday, Ward tweeted -- in what she later denied was a reference to McCain's illness -- that "Political correctness is like a cancer!" Arpaio, meanwhile, complained that he offered McCain's family condolences only to find that Cindy McCain had blocked him on Twitter.