A-10 advocate shrugs off challenger’s announcement

Rep. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) on Wednesday downplayed the news that she has her first challenger for the 2016 election.

Democratic state Rep. Victoria Steele announced on Tuesday that she would look to oust McSally in one of the more competitive congressional districts in the country.

{mosads}“I’m sure there’ll be more, and I look forward to seeing it shake itself out and see who emerges as the nominee from the Democratic Party and we’ll deal with that after next August,” McSally told The Hill. 

She said her job right now is to remain focused on district issues, including border security and protecting the Air Force’s A-10 “Warthog” from retirement.

“The best thing I can do to stay around for more than a year and a half is actually do a good job,” said McSally, a retired Air Force colonel and A-10 fighter pilot who now sits on the House Armed Services Committee.

McSally is sure to be a top target for Democrats in next year’s elections. She won a recount against Democratic incumbent Rep. Ron Barber by just 167 votes in one of the most closely watched races in the country.

Her recent fundraising numbers show McSally isn’t taking that fact for granted.

On Monday her campaign announced she raised more than $1 million during the second quarter of 2015, bringing her total cash on hand to around $1.4 million.

While McSally isn’t sweating Steele’s announcement yet, the National Republican Congressional Committee labeled her as “just another out of touch liberal who is eager to blindly march to the beat of [House Minority Leader] Nancy Pelosi’s drum.”

“Steele is simply too partisan and too far left for 2nd District families,” spokesman Zach Hunter said in a statement.