The 2018 United States Senate election in Arizona took place on November 6, 2018, to elect a member of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

to represent the State of Arizona and replace incumbent

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Senator Jeff Flake, who did not run for reelection to a second term. It was held concurrently with a

gubernatorial election A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, other elections to the U.S. Senate,

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative ...

to the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, as well as various other state and local elections. The candidate filing deadline was May 30, 2018; primaries were held on August 28, 2018, three days after the death of Senator John McCain.

Martha McSally Martha Elizabeth McSally (born March 22, 1966) is an American politician and former military pilot who served as a United States senator for Arizona from 2019 to 2020. A member of the Republican Party, she served as the U.S. representative for ...

won the Republican nomination, while

Kyrsten Sinema Kyrsten Lea Sinema (; born July 12, 1976) is an American politician and former social worker serving as the senior United States senator from Arizona since January 2019. A former member of the Democratic Party, Sinema became an independent in ...

won the Democratic nomination.

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...

candidate Angela Green was also on the ballot but had withdrawn and endorsed Sinema. The election thus featured an all-female ballot. Write-in candidates included Democrat Sheila Bilyeu,

Libertarian Party Active parties by country Defunct parties by country Organizations associated with Libertarian parties See also * Liberal parties by country * List of libertarian organizations * Lists of political parties Lists of political part ...

candidate Barry Hess, Republican Robert Kay, Jonathan Ringham of The Old Republic, as well as others. On the night of the election, McSally held a narrow lead of about one percent. Approximately a million mail-in and early ballots however remained to be counted; Sinema took the lead the next day, in a blue shift. The

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

called the race for Sinema on November 12, 2018 and McSally conceded that day. With a margin of 2.34%, this election was the second-closest race of the 2018 U.S. Senate election cycle, behind only the Senate election in Florida. Sinema became the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate seat in Arizona since

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...

, when former Democratic Senator Dennis DeConcini last ran for and won reelection to his third and final term in this seat. This was also the first time a Democrat won statewide in Arizona since 2006, when

Janet Napolitano Janet Ann Napolitano (; born November 29, 1957) is an American politician, lawyer, and university administrator who served as the 21st governor of Arizona from 2003 to 2009 and third United States secretary of homeland security from 2009 to 20 ...

was reelected as Governor. McSally was subsequently appointed by Governor

Doug Ducey Douglas Anthony Ducey (, né Roscoe Jr.; born April 9, 1964) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 23rd governor of Arizona since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Ducey was previously the CEO of Cold Stone Creamery, a c ...

to the other vacant Senate seat in Arizona, left open after McCain's death and then held on an interim basis by Jon Kyl. Two years later, McSally attempted to defend her seat in the 2020 special election and serve the remainder of the term, but lost to Democrat Mark Kelly.

Background

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, located along the United States border with Mexico, has a unique political history. Upon its admission to the Union in 1912, the state was dominated by Democrats who had migrated there from the South, and aside from the landslide victories of Republicans

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...

, Calvin Coolidge, and

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...

, the state voted for Democrats until

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

, when Dwight Eisenhower carried it, and began a lengthy streak of Republican victories interrupted only by

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

's narrow victory in 1996. Since then, the state had remained in the Republican camp, and was won by

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

with a 3.5% margin in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, although Trump's margin of victory was much smaller than that of past Republican presidential nominees. The last Democrat to win a Senate election in Arizona was Dennis DeConcini in

. Incumbent

Senator Jeff Flake announced in October 2017 that he would retire at the end of his current term instead of seeking reelection for another term in 2018. Flake had previously indicated his intent to run for reelection in March 2017. However, he was considered vulnerable due to persistently low approval ratings, a poor relationship with President Trump, and the threat of a primary challenge from former State Senator

Kelli Ward Kelli Ward (''née'' Kaznoski; born January 25, 1969) is an American osteopathic physician and politician who has served as the chair of the Arizona Republican Party since 2019. She served in the Arizona State Senate from 2013 to 2015. She c ...

, who promised to run on a more pro-Trump platform. Additionally, he had won his first term in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

by only 3 percentage points, even though Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney won Arizona by 9.

Republican primary

Candidates

On the ballot

Joe Arpaio Joseph Michael Arpaio (; born June 14, 1932) is an American former law enforcement officer and politician. He served as the 36th Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona for 24 years, from 1993 to 2017, losing reelection to Democrat Paul Penzone i ...

, former

Maricopa County Maricopa County is in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,420,568, making it the state's most populous county, and the fourth-most populous in the United States. It contains about ...

sheriff *

, U.S. representative *

, former state senator and candidate for the U.S. Senate in

* Nicholas N. Glenn (

write-in candidate A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...

) * William Gonzales (

)

Failed to file

* Craig Brittain, owner and co-founder of the revenge porn website IsAnybodyDown? * Christian "C.J." Diegel, financial advisor * Michelle Griffin * Shawn Redd * Nicholas Tutora, pharmacist

Withdrew

* Jeff Flake, incumbent U.S. senator

Declined

Jan Brewer Janice Kay Brewer (''née'' Drinkwine, formerly Warren; born September 26, 1944) is an American politician and author who was the 22nd governor of Arizona from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Brewer is the fourth woman (and was t ...

, former governor *

Paul Gosar Paul Anthony Gosar ( ; born November 27, 1958) is an American far-rightMultiple sources: * * * politician and former dentist who has been the U.S. representative for since 2013. A Republican, he was elected in 2010 to represent the neighbor ...

, U.S. representative * Jeff DeWit, treasurer of Arizona (nominated as NASA chief financial officer) *

Andy Biggs Andrew Steven Biggs (born November 7, 1958) is an American attorney and politician who represents in the United States House of Representatives. The district, which was once represented by U.S. Senators, John McCain and Jeff Flake, is in the ...

, U.S. representative *

Mark Brnovich Mark Brnovich (born 1966) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 26th Attorney General of Arizona from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he was an unsuccessful candidate for its nomination in the 2022 U.S. Senate ...

, attorney general of Arizona *

Trent Franks Trent Franks (born June 19, 1957) is a former American politician and businessman who served as the U.S. representative for from 2003 to 2017 (numbered as the 2nd district from 2003 to 2013). He is a member of the Republican Party. During his ...

, former U.S. representative * Robert Graham, former chair of the

Arizona Republican Party The Arizona Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party in Arizona. Its headquarters are in Phoenix. The party currently controls four of Arizona's nine U.S. House seats, both houses of the state legislature, and the governorship ...

* Christine Jones, former

GoDaddy GoDaddy Inc. is an American publicly traded Internet domain registrar and web hosting company headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, and incorporated in Delaware. , GoDaddy has more than 21 million customers and over 6,600 employees worldwide. The ...

executive, candidate for governor in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

and candidate for

AZ-05 Arizona's 5th congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S. state of Arizona, currently represented by Republican Party (United States), Republican Andy Biggs. The district contains Gilbert, Arizona, Gilbert, Queen Cre ...

* Bill Montgomery,

Attorney * Ben Quayle, former U.S. representative *

Matt Salmon Matthew James Salmon (born January 21, 1958) is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative from Arizona from 1995 to 2001 and again from 2013 until 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he retired from office after representin ...

, former U.S. representative and nominee for governor in 2002 *

David Schweikert David S. Schweikert (; born March 3, 1962) is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. representative for from 2013 to 2023 and since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he first entered Congress in 2011, representing ...

, U.S. representative *

John Shadegg John Barden Shadegg (; born October 22, 1949) is an American politician and former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1995 until 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district, numbered as the 4th District before the 2000 Censu ...

, former U.S. representative

Endorsements

Polling

;with Jay Heiler ;with Jeff Flake

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

On the ballot

*Deedra Abboud, attorney *

, U.S. representative

Failed to file

* Bob Bishop, pilot * Matt Jette * David Ruben, physician * Chris Russell, attorney * Richard Sherzan, retired administrative law judge, former

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

state representative and candidate for the U.S. Senate in

Withdrew

* Jim Moss, businessman, activist and former teacher

Declined

* Mark Kelly, astronaut, scientist, U.S. Navy captain and husband of former U.S. representative

Gabby Giffords Gabrielle Dee Giffords (born June 8, 1970) is an American retired politician and gun control advocate who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives representing from January 2007 until January 2012, when she resigned ...

* Randall Friese, state representative *

Ann Kirkpatrick Ann Leila Kirkpatrick (born March 24, 1950) is an American politician and retired attorney serving as the United States representative from since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she represented from 2009 to 2011 and again from 2013 to ...

, former U.S. representative and nominee for the U.S. Senate in

( running for AZ-2) *

Greg Stanton Gregory John Stanton (born March 8, 1970) is an American lawyer and politician who is the U.S. representative from . A Democrat, he was mayor of Phoenix, Arizona. Stanton was on the Phoenix City Council from 2000 until 2009. Stanton was elect ...

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

( running for AZ-9)

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Declared

Adam Kokesh Adam Charles Kokesh (; born February 1, 1982) is an American libertarian political activist, radio host, and author. Kokesh was a U.S. 2020 Libertarian presidential candidate running on the single-issue platform of an "orderly dissolution of th ...

(

), anti-war activist and U.S. presidential candidate in 2020

Removed

* Doug Marks, veteran and write-in candidate for IL-14 in 2010

Green primary

Candidates

Declared

*Angela Green (

)

Removed

*Eve Reyes-Aguirre, activist

Results

General election

Debates

Kyrsten Sinema and Martha McSally in a debate for Senate's election of 2018

Complete video of debate
October 15, 2018

Predictions

Endorsements

Fundraising

Polling

;with Kelli Ward ;with Joe Arpaio ;with generic Republican and generic Democrat ;with Jeff Flake ;with Matt Salmon

Results

Due to the closeness of the vote count, the

and other major news outlets did not call the race until November 12, 2018, six days after the election. Sinema defeated McSally largely by winning in heavily populated

, home of

, which used to be a

stronghold but has since trended more Democratic in recent years. Sinema also won in heavily populated

Pima County Pima County ( ) is a county in the south central region of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,043,433, making it Arizona's second-most populous county. The county seat is Tucson, where most of the populati ...

, home to

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

, where she beat McSally with over 56% of the vote. Sinema also performed well in

Coconino County Coconino County is a county in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its population was 145,101 at the 2020 census. The county seat is Flagstaff. The county takes its name from ''Cohonino'', a name applied to the Havasupai p ...

, home of Flagstaff. McSally did well in many rural areas of the state. This was the first Senate election won by a Democrat in

since 1988. Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic *

Maricopa Maricopa can refer to: Places * Maricopa, Arizona, United States, a city ** Maricopa Freeway, a piece of I-10 in Metropolitan Phoenix ** Maricopa station, an Amtrak station in Maricopa, Arizona * Maricopa County, Arizona, United States * Marico ...

(largest municipality:

)

Voter demographics

Aftermath

On December 18, 2018, Governor

appointed McSally to fill Arizona's other Senate seat, left vacant after the resignation of Jon Kyl, who himself was appointed after the August 25, 2018 death of John McCain. Initially, Kyl said that he would serve only until the new Congress was sworn in January 2019. Both Sinema and McSally were sworn in with the

116th United States Congress The 116th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It convened in Washington, D.C., on January 3, 2019, and ended on Janu ...

on January 3, 2019, marking the first time in history that Arizona was represented by two women in the United States Senate and making it the second state to be represented by two women from different parties. Sinema and McSally are only the second pair of senators from the same state in history to serve together after running against each other the prior year; a first such instance occurred in Oregon in 1996–1997. Ducey stipulated that Sinema would be sworn in first, making her the senior senator; this way, he said, the decision of Arizona's voters would be respected. Under Arizona law, McSally's appointment was only valid for the duration of the 116th Congress and a special election for her seat was held in November 2020 to determine who would finish what remains of McCain's term (which expires in 2023), in which McSally was defeated by Democrat Mark Kelly. McSally left office on December 2, 2020.

Notes

;Partisan clients

References

External links

* (constantly updated)
Candidates
at

Vote Smart Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected officials in s ...

Candidates
at Ballotpedia
Campaign finance
at FEC
Campaign finance
at

OpenSecrets OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created from a merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP) ...

;Official campaign websites
Kyrsten Sinema (D) for Senate

Martha McSally (R) for Senate

Adam Kokesh (L) for Senate

Angela Green (G) for Senate
{{DEFAULTSORT:United States Senate Election In Arizona, 2018

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Senate