The Martha McSally campaign has released a four-page memo explaining the congresswoman’s loss to Kyrsten Sinema.

It is, we are told, the media’s fault.

“Local media consistently focused on the tensions between the McCain/Flake and Trump wings of the party in AZ, making it more difficult to unify Republicans of all ideological identifications.”

It is geography’s fault.

“Sinema has represented a Congressional District wholly contained within Maricopa County, which is over 60% of the general election electorate.”

It’s George Soros’ and Chuck Schumer’s fault.

“National Democratic money enabled pro-Sinema forces to be able to begin attacking McSally during the Republican primary in August, with Soros and Schumer funded entities spending over a million dollars attacking McSally while she was still enmeshed in a tough GOP primary.”

It’s history’s fault.

“History has shown us time and time again that during the tenure where one party controls both chambers and the White House, the minority party increases midterm turnout causing the ripple effects of a new type of electorate in Arizona.”

It’s Kelli Ward’s fault, for daring to oppose McSally in a hard-fought Republican primary while Sinema drew a cakewalk.

“Giving Sinema a 20-week advertising advantage where she was able to successfully cement a moderate, independent image in a state that has favored center right Senate candidates for the last twenty years.”

It’s the fault of moderate Republicans, mostly women.

“A certain segment of AZ Republicans was outright hostile to President Trump, and was against the (Brett) Kavanaugh (Supreme Court) appointment. This segment of moderate Republicans, especially woman, proved very difficult to bring home to a Republican candidate that supported President Trump and the confirmation of Justice Kavanaugh."

And oh yeah, it’s the well-funded Sinema’s fault:

“Sinema hugged (John) McCain tightly, and never once had the word 'Democrat' in a TV advertisement. “

Bottom line: it’s not, not, absolutely not Martha McSally’s fault that she lost a Senate seat that has been held by Republicans for lo the last three decades.

Not at all.

5 more likely reasons McSally lost

While all of the above certainly contributed to McSally’s loss — those and the not-insignificant fact that Sinema was a formidable candidate — may I suggest a couple of additional factors for why the Republican nominee is sitting at home in Tucson?

McSally became someone she wasn’t.

The seemingly moderate congresswoman who represented the state’s most competitive district — one who had kept her distance from Donald Trump — overnight became the president’s most enthusiastic groupie once Jeff Flake announced he was out.

Where she once had supported a path to citizenship for DACA students, she now was all about building the wall.

Given today’s GOP, she had to take a hard-right lurch to win the primary. But she never softened her image or her message during a general election campaign that should have been all about attracting independents and buttoning up moderate Republicans who see Trump as a total turnoff.

Once upon a time, McSally was Sinema’s worst nightmare, a mainstream Republican who could appeal to voters sick to death of partisan trench warfare.

Strangely, that person was a no-show in this campaign.

In her pursuit of Trump, McSally dissed a well-respected dying senator.

In August, as John McCain’s days dwindled, McSally flew to Trump’s side to tout the signing of the National Defense Authorization Act.

Or as it was actually called, the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act, in honor of the former POW and longtime senator who spent his life serving in and supporting the military.

Yet McSally, in her effusive praise of Trump and promotion of herself, couldn’t bear to mention the hometown senator in her many tweets and media appearances.

That worked with the party's hard-right contingent, people who viewed McCain as a RINO turncoat.

To everybody else, she just looked small.

At the end, she went over the edge.

In the closing minutes of their one-and-only debate, McSally became unhinged, accusing Sinema of treason.

Treason!

This, because 15 years ago a clearly frustrated Sinema told a bombastic radio talk-show host who wouldn’t let her get a word in edgewise that she didn’t care if he wanted to go fight for the Taliban. This, just to get him to shut up.

McSally ignored the context of Sinema’s remark in a desperate move to knock the surging Democratic nominee off her perch.

Instead, I suspect it was the final knockout punch for the candidate who lost by a mere 56,000 votes out of nearly 2.4 million cast.

McSally never really told her story.

She was a fighter pilot to the end. Attack, attack, attack.

She never missed an opportunity to remind us that she flew combat missions in Iraq while Sinema was protesting the war in a pink tutu.

But what became memorable was the pink tutu. Never did we hear the story of how and why McSally took to the skies — and to the history books with an impressive female first.

Moderate women would have liked to have heard that story, I think.

The Republican Party never gave McSally a chance.

These days, a GOP nominee must be rigidly right wing. That is both a requirement and a death sentence.

Something for Republicans to think about as they approach the 2020 race for Arizona’s other Senate seat.

Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com.

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