Congresswoman McSally Continues Saying Whatever She Thinks GOP Primary Voters Want to Hear

If you asked Congresswoman Martha McSally what she thought about President Trump last year – or even just a few months ago – she would “snap” at you and say “not your business.” But now? According to the Arizona Daily Star, McSally “has increasingly highlighted her close ties to the president, drawing criticism that the retired Air Force Colonel has changed course to better to appeal to Trump supporters” as she runs to win a contentious primary.

And it’s not just Trump that has Congresswoman McSally playing to her audience. Last month, HuffPost reported that McSally abandoned a bipartisan immigration bill following attacks from her opponents, conservatives Kelli Ward and Joe Arpaio.

“Congresswoman McSally has proven time and again that she’ll say and do anything to get elected,” said Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesman David Bergstein. “Unfortunately for her, Arizonans will see right through her twisting in the wind and will hold her accountable.”

Arizona Daily Star: McSally opens up on her relationship with Trump in new interview
By Joe Ferguson
June 1, 2018

• The two-term Republican often shied away from commenting on Trump during the 2016 campaign, often telling reporters that she was laser-focused on her own re-election campaign.
• However, in the last year, McSally has increasingly highlighted her close ties to the president, drawing criticism that the retired Air Force Colonel has changed course to better to appeal to Trump supporters as she runs to replace Jeff Flake in the Senate.
• The Tucson Republican is now part of a three-person primary for the Republican nomination, facing off against Sheriff Joe Arpaio who was personally pardoned by Trump last year and former state senator Kelli Ward, who been endorsed by some of Trump’s former advisors, including Steve Bannon and Sebastian Gorka.

Read the full article here.

LA Times: Arizona exposes danger for GOP in 2018 primaries: Embracing Trump could backfire
By Michael Finnegan
January 30, 2018

• In Republican primaries across the nation, candidates like McSally are trying to outdo one another in embracing Trump, an unpopular president who nonetheless remains well liked by most GOP voters.
• Democrats are watching with glee. All this Trump-loving in the primaries could bedevil Republican nominees once they start seeking broader support for the general election in November.
• McSally still won’t say whether she voted for Trump. “Not your business,” she snapped in an interview after belting out “The Star-Spangled Banner” onstage at a Republican banquet Friday in Phoenix. She bristles at reminders of her past comments against Trump.

Read the full article here.

###