Campaign

Poll: Democrat Mark Kelly leads incumbent McSally in Arizona Senate race

Democratic candidate Mark Kelly is leading Republican Sen. Martha McSally among Arizona voters, according to a new poll. 

Kelly, a former astronaut and U.S. Navy captain, has a 4-point lead over the incumbent Republican, according to a poll by the left-leaning Public Policy Polling

The survey found that 46 percent of polled voters said they would vote for Kelly and 42 percent said they would vote for McSally. An additional 12 percent said they were not sure. 

Kelly is married to former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.), who has been a prominent gun control advocate since retiring from Congress after surviving an assassination attempt in 2012.

Democrats are looking to flip at least three Senate seats in 2020 to take control of the upper chamber. 

McSally is one of a few vulnerable targets. The Cook Political report ranks the race as a “toss-up.” 

McSally was appointed to her seat last year after it was vacated following the death of Republican Sen. John McCain. She had lost her Senate bid in 2018 to Democrat Kyrsten Sinema, who flipped the seat formerly held by retired Republican Sen. Jeff Flake.

The Public Policy Polling survey polled 760 Arizona voters between Jan. 2 and Jan. 4. There is a margin of error of 3.6 percentage points.