Campaign

Rep. Sinema to challenge Flake for Senate seat

by Reid Wilson - 09/28/17 8:14 PM ET

Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) announced Thursday that she will challenge Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) in 2018, kicking off what will be one of the marquee contests of the midterm election cycle.

In a video announcing her candidacy, Sinema details her poor upbringing and the time she spent living out of a car after her parents divorced. Sinema says in the video that government assistance gave her the opportunity to make something of her life.

“I owe a large debt to my country. I got my shot, and now it’s my duty to help others get their shot,” Sinema said.

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Arizona is among the Democratic Party’s best chances to pick up a Senate seat in next year’s midterm elections, along with neighboring Nevada.

Sinema starts the race on a strong footing. She had more than $3.2 million available in her federal campaign account at the end of the last quarter, according to Federal Election Commission reports.

Sinema’s media message will be overseen by Karl Struble, a veteran Democratic strategist based in Arizona. Lisa Grove, a longtime Democratic pollster based in Hawaii, will handle Sinema’s survey research.

Flake, once considered a frequent conservative thorn in the side of House leadership, is finishing his first term in the Senate after winning a 49 percent plurality in 2012.

But he suffers from low approval ratings, both among Republican primary voters and general election voters. A survey taken for the Democratic group Senate Majority PAC showed Flake trailing former state Sen. Kelli Ward (R) in next year’s GOP primary.

In a statement, Flake’s campaign said Sinema was too liberal to win a statewide race.

“From her time working on Ralph Nader’s campaign to the state legislature to Congress, Kyrsten Sinema has always been out of touch with Arizona and she’ll do anything to hide her progressive record,” Flake spokesman Will Allison said in an email.

Flake faces other issues before getting to a showdown with Sinema.

The GOP senator has been critical of President Trump, and the president has returned the favor, most recently in a campaign-style rally in Phoenix last month during which he praised Ward.

“Great to see that Dr. Kelli Ward is running against Flake Jeff Flake, who is WEAK on borders, crime and a non-factor in the Senate. He’s toxic!” Trump tweeted in August, one of several Twitter attacks against the GOP senator.

Republican insiders have been shocked and appalled at Trump’s assaults on a reliably conservative vote. Several have rallied to his cause, including Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who held a campaign fundraiser for Flake earlier this month.

Sinema will face a steep fight against an incumbent Republican in a conservative state that Trump won last year. She did not mention Trump or Flake in her announcement video.

Flake’s campaign had more than $3.1 million in the bank at the end of June, about 38 times what Ward had in reserve.

Tags Arizona Jeff Flake Joni Ernst