U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and his spouse former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, daughters Charlotte, Samantha and son in legislation Mark Sudman wave all through his election night time rally on the Rialto Theatre on November 08, 2022 in Tucson, Arizona.
Kevin Dietsch | Getty Photographs
Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly will cling directly to his U.S. Senate seat in Arizona, pushing Democrats nearer to preserving keep an eye on of the Senate, NBC Information projected.
Kelly used to be main Republican candidate Blake Masters, who used to be former President Donald Trump’s select in the important thing swing state, by means of virtually six share issues with 85% of the votes in as of Friday night time. With Kelly’s win, Democrats want simply one of the crucial two seats in Nevada or Georgia that have not been known as but.
In Nevada, Republican candidate Adam Laxalt used to be forward by means of 1 share level with 88% of the votes counted as of Friday morning. Georgia’s Senate race is headed to a runoff election on Dec. 6 between GOP candidate Herschel Walker and incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock, who used to be main by means of greater than a share level.
Kelly raised and spent hugely greater than project capitalist Masters, bringing in over $81.8 million and spending over $75.9 million thru mid-October. Masters, by means of comparability, raised $12.3 million and spent simply $9.7 million over the similar period of time, in step with knowledge compiled by means of the Federal Election Fee.
The Arizona Democrat campaigned on a platform of bipartisanship and promoted his willingness to paintings around the aisle with Republicans. He used to be elected to the Senate in 2020 to complete the time period of Republican Sen. John McCain, who died of an competitive type of mind most cancers.
Kelly lately distanced his stance on immigration from the Biden management when he got here out in opposition to the verdict to finish Name 42. The coverage, which started all through the Trump management, avoided migrants from getting into the rustic because of Covid.
The Arizona Democrat has additionally driven laborious for border safety. He lately referred to the inflow of migrants on the southern border as “a multitude” all through a debate.
“When the president determined he used to be going to do one thing dumb in this and alter the foundations that may create a larger disaster, I informed him he used to be incorrect. So I driven again in this management more than one instances,” Kelly mentioned in October.
However Kelly used to be additionally a first-rate negotiator within the CHIPS and Science Act, a key element of President Joe Biden’s financial insurance policies that used to be signed into legislation in August.
A former NASA astronaut and Army pilot, Kelly is married to former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who survived a gunshot wound to the top in 2011.