Arizona: More Endorsements

​The Arizona Senate Democratic primary is getting off to a fast start as more activity is coming from astronaut Mark Kelly (D), who formally announced his candidacy last week.  Immediately after Mr. Kelly declared, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Tucson) made a public endorsement of Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Phoenix) for the Senate seat, even though the latter man has yet to make his 2020 political intentions known.  All indications, however, suggest that Mr. Gallego will enter the race.
 
Countering the Grijalva statement, east Arizona Reps. Tom O’Halleran (D-Sedona) and Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Tucson) both came out in support of Mr. Kelly suggesting a split within the congressional delegation.  While the primary will not be decided until August 25th of next year, this primary campaign promises to be a hard-fought contest that draws a great deal of national media attention. 
 
The winner will likely face appointed Sen. Martha McSally (R), who appears intent on running in the 2020 special election in order to serve the remainder of the late Sen. John McCain’s final term.  Whoever wins in November of 2020 will be eligible to seek a full six-year term in 2022.