Arizona's Senate race remains wide open

Fox News reported that recent polls show the Republican Senate candidate in Arizona continues gaining ground, suggesting the circus-like Kavanaugh hearings could help the GOP hold Congress.

The two women are virtually in a dead heat, but the heated hearings over Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination seemed to favor Martha McSally with a slight advantage and higher favorability ratings than her Democratic opponent, Kyrsten Sinema.

The last Democrat to represent Arizona in the Senate was Dennis DeConcini in 1995. But today the red state is very purple, with roughly a third of registered voters Republican (1.2 million), a third independent (1.2 million) and a third Democrat (1.1 million). One in four registered voters are Hispanic.

“This race is wide open and so people are going to have to wade through the attack ads to see which candidate appeals to the most,” said Joseph Garcia, director of communication and community impact at ASU Morrison Institute for Public Policy. “You know McSally has kind of sided more with the Donald Trump side and of course Sinema has not. But she's reached across the aisle. She is more of a moderate Democrat, for sure. So it's going to be interesting to see that middle ground, who's going to attract the independent voters who will attract the moderate voters because the lines are going to be pretty clear.”

For McSally, a little known Tucson Republican, it’s a critical statewide introduction, whereas Sinema is better known after years in the state legislature and three terms representing Phoenix.

READ: In Arizona Senate race, McSally continues gaining ground after a boost from Kavanaugh hearings