Martha McSally

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Martha McSally
Image of Martha McSally
Prior offices
U.S. House Arizona District 2
Successor: Ann Kirkpatrick
Predecessor: Ron Barber

U.S. Senate Arizona
Successor: Mark Kelly
Predecessor: Jon Kyl

Compensation

Base salary

$174,000

Elections and appointments
Last election

November 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

United States Air Force Academy

Graduate

Harvard University

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Air Force

Personal
Religion
Christian: Protestant
Contact

Martha McSally (Republican Party) was a member of the U.S. Senate from Arizona. She assumed office on January 3, 2019. She left office on December 2, 2020.

McSally (Republican Party) ran in a special election to the U.S. Senate to represent Arizona. She lost in the special general election on November 3, 2020.

On December 18, 2018, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) announced the appointment of McSally to the U.S. Senate to replace Sen. Jon Kyl (R). Kyl, who was appointed to the U.S. Senate in September 2018 after the death of former Sen. John McCain (R), resigned from that seat on December 31, 2018.[1]

Prior to her appointment, McSally ran for U.S. Senate in the 2018 election. McSally lost the general election to Kyrsten Sinema (D) on November 6, 2018, after advancing from the primary on August 28, 2018.

McSally is a former Republican member of the U.S. House, representing the 2nd Congressional District of Arizona from 2015 to 2019.

Prior to her 2014 U.S. House bid, McSally served in the Air Force for 26 years and became the first woman fighter pilot to fly in combat. She retired in 2010 as a colonel.[2]

Biography

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

McSally graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and served in the Air Force for 26 years before retiring in 2010 as a colonel. She also earned a master's degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a master's degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Air War College.[3]

McSally served as a Professor of National Security Studies at the George C. Marshall Center in Germany, before an unsuccessful congressional bid in 2012, where she lost to Ron Barber (D) by approximately 2,500 votes. She defeated him in a second match-up in 2014.[3][4]

In Congress, she has served on the Committees on Armed Services and Homeland Security, including chairing the Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee.[5]

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of McSally's academic, professional, and political career:[6]

  • 2019-2020: U.S. Senator from Arizona
  • 2015-2019: U.S. Representative from Arizona's 2nd Congressional District
  • 1988-2010: U.S. Air Force
  • 1990: Graduated from John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University with an M.P.P.
  • 1988: Graduated from United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs with a B.S.

Committee assignments

U.S. Senate

2019-2020

McSally was assigned to the following committees:[Source]


U.S. House

2017-2018

At the beginning of the 115th Congress, McSally was assigned to the following committees:[7]

2015-2016

McSally served on the following committees:[8]

Key votes

See also: Key votes

Ballotpedia monitors legislation that receives a vote and highlights the ones that we consider to be key to understanding where elected officials stand on the issues. To read more about how we identify key votes, click here.

Key votes: 116th Congress, 2019-2020

Votespotter.png

Key votes: 115th Congress, 2017-2018

For detailed information about each vote, click here.

Key votes: Previous sessions of Congress

Elections

2020

See also: United States Senate special election in Arizona, 2020

United States Senate election in Arizona, 2020 (August 4 Republican primary)

United States Senate election in Arizona, 2020 (August 4 Democratic primary)

General election

Special general election for U.S. Senate Arizona

The following candidates ran in the special general election for U.S. Senate Arizona on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Mark-Kelly.png
Mark Kelly (D)
 
51.2
 
1,716,467
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Martha_McSally_official_congressional_photo.jpg
Martha McSally (R)
 
48.8
 
1,637,661
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Matthew Dorchester (L) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
379
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/NicholasGlenn.jpg
Nicholas Glenn (Independent Republican Party) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
152
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Debbie Simmons (R) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
98
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/John-Schiess.jpg
John Schiess (R) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
92
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Christopher Beckett (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
69
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Joshua_Rodriguez.jpeg
Joshua Rodriguez (Unity Party) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
69
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Arif.jpg
Mohammad Arif (D) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
68
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Perry_Kapadia.png
Perry Kapadia (D) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
58
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Mathew Haupt (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
37
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Patrick Thomas (R) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
29
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Edward_Davida.png
Edward Davida (R) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
28
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Jim Stevens (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
23
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Buzz Stewart (D) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
22
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
William Decker (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
21
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Adam Chilton (D) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
19
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Benjamin Rodriguez (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
17
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Frank Saenz (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
8

Total votes: 3,355,317
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Special Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Arizona

Mark Kelly defeated Bo Garcia in the special Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Arizona on August 4, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Mark-Kelly.png
Mark Kelly
 
99.9
 
665,620
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Bo Garcia (Write-in)
 
0.1
 
451

Total votes: 666,071
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Special Republican primary for U.S. Senate Arizona

Incumbent Martha McSally defeated Daniel McCarthy and Sean Lyons in the special Republican primary for U.S. Senate Arizona on August 4, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Martha_McSally_official_congressional_photo.jpg
Martha McSally
 
75.2
 
551,119
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Daniel_McCarthy.jpg
Daniel McCarthy Candidate Connection
 
24.8
 
181,511
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Sean Lyons (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
210

Total votes: 732,840
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Libertarian primary election

Barry Hess and Alan White ran as write-in candidates in the race. Hess received 329 votes and White received 101 votes. Libertarian write-in candidates were required to receive at least 3,335 votes to make the general election ballot.


2018

See also: United States Senate election in Arizona, 2018
See also: United States Senate election in Arizona (August 28, 2018 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Arizona

Kyrsten Sinema defeated Martha McSally and Angela Green in the general election for U.S. Senate Arizona on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Kyrsten_Sinema.jpeg
Kyrsten Sinema (D)
 
50.0
 
1,191,100
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Martha_McSally_official_congressional_photo.jpg
Martha McSally (R)
 
47.6
 
1,135,200
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/AGreenHeadshot.jpg
Angela Green (G)
 
2.4
 
57,442
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.0
 
566

Total votes: 2,384,308
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Arizona

Kyrsten Sinema defeated Deedra Abboud in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Arizona on August 28, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Kyrsten_Sinema.jpeg
Kyrsten Sinema
 
79.3
 
404,170
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Deedra_Abboud.jpg
Deedra Abboud
 
20.7
 
105,800

Total votes: 509,970
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Arizona

Martha McSally defeated Kelli Ward and Joe Arpaio in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Arizona on August 28, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Martha_McSally_official_congressional_photo.jpg
Martha McSally
 
54.6
 
357,626
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Kelli_Ward_2.png
Kelli Ward
 
27.6
 
180,926
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/JoeArpaio.jpg
Joe Arpaio
 
17.8
 
116,555

Total votes: 655,107
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Green primary election

No Green candidates ran in the primary.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Libertarian primary election

No Libertarian candidates ran in the primary.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2016

See also: Arizona's 2nd Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Martha McSally (R) defeated former state Rep. Matt Heinz (D) and Ed Tilton Jr. (L write-in) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Heinz defeated Victoria Steele in the Democratic primary on August 30, 2016.[90][91][92][93][94]

U.S. House, Arizona District 2 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngMartha McSally Incumbent 57% 179,806
     Democratic Matt Heinz 43% 135,873
Total Votes 315,679
Source: Arizona Secretary of State


U.S. House, Arizona District 2 Democratic Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngMatt Heinz 52.8% 32,017
Victoria Steele 47.2% 28,658
Total Votes 60,675
Source: Arizona Secretary of State

2014

U.S. House, Arizona District 2 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngMartha McSally 50% 109,704
     Democratic Ron Barber Incumbent 49.9% 109,543
     Write-in Sampson U. Ramirez 0% 56
     Write-in Sydney Dudikoff 0% 48
Total Votes 219,351
Source: Arizona Secretary of State
U.S. House, Arizona District 2 Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngMartha McSally 69.4% 45,492
Chuck Wooten 22.9% 14,995
Shelley Kais 7.8% 5,103
Total Votes 65,590
Source: Arizona Secretary of State

2012

Regular election

See also: Arizona's 2nd Congressional District elections, 2012

McSally ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent Arizona's 2nd District. She defeated Mark Koskiniemi in the Republican primary on August 28, 2012. She lost to incumbent Ron Barber (D) in the general election on November 6, 2012, in a race that was too close to call for one week after the election took place.[95][96][97]

U.S. House, Arizona District 2 General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngRon Barber Incumbent 50.4% 147,338
     Republican Martha McSally 49.6% 144,884
     Libertarian Anthony Powell 0% 57
Total Votes 292,279
Source: Arizona Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

Special election

See also: Arizona's 8th Congressional District special election, 2012

McSally ran in the 2012 special election for the U.S. House, representing Arizona's 8th District. She lost to Jesse Kelly in the April 17 Republican primary.[98]

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Martha McSally did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

McSally's campaign website stated the following:

Bipartisanship in a Partisan Time

From her time serving in the House and now in the Senate, Martha goes to Washington, not with an “R” on her jersey, but with an “AZ” on her jersey.
When she served in the House of Representatives, Martha worked across the aisle to pass bills that were signed into law under a Democrat administration. Now, with a Republican Senate and White House, she has continued that track record of bipartisanship to deliver results for Arizonans. Martha’s work with President Trump has put Arizona and America first on every issue.
Since becoming a senator for Arizona, an independent organization ranked Martha the sixth most bipartisan senator and she tied for #1 of ALL 100 senators for the most bills signed into law. It is her commitment to working with anyone to get things done that has made her an effective champion for Arizonans. Some of her signature achievements in Congress include:
    • Crafting and voting for a Republican-led tax cut package that saved the average Arizona family $2,000 each year;
    • Introducing and working across the aisle to pass legislation to authorize the historic, multi-state Colorado River Drought
    • Contingency Plan to secure Arizona’s water future;
    • Successfully fighting to restore control of lands to Arizonans through five land exchanges;
    • And creating a nationwide Veterans Treatment Court program to provide our heroes with treatment they need to recover from the invisible wounds of war.

COVID-19 Relief for Arizona Families

This first-in-a-century pandemic has impacted so many Arizonans, who have found themselves out of work through no fault of their own. Martha is leading the charge to ease the burden the coronavirus has put on individuals and businesses. She crafted and voted for the CARES Act to get immediate, direct cash relief to individuals and provide small businesses with funding to keep their employees on the payroll. The relief she fought for and delivered to Arizonans included:
    • $9 billion in relief funding for Arizona businesses;
    • $25 billion nationwide for research, development, manufacture, and administration of testing, so that it could be provided at no cost to patients;
    • $175 billion nationwide to support hospitals treating coronavirus patients;
    • $8 billion in COVID relief funds for tribal governments across the country—the largest appropriations for tribes in U.S. history;
    • $10 billion to protect residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities across the country; and
    • An additional $600 a week in unemployment to help those laid off due to the pandemic.
As a result of her request, the Treasury Department granted states and cities additional flexibility in order to use the funding they received in the CARES Act in a way that best suits their communities.
Martha is standing up to China for their role in unleashing this virus on us. China lied to the world and covered up this virus for months, and Martha is leading on several pieces of legislation to ensure they are held responsible. The Chinese Communist Party has even threatened to sanction Martha because she has been an outspoken leader in the effort to hold them accountable. She will not quit in her fight against the Communist Chinese regime.
She is working to bring manufacturing of essential products—such as personal protective equipment (PPE) and prescription drugs—home from China, and ensuring we stop shipping our jobs overseas.
Unlike her opponent, who is beholden to China through his long relationship with the regime and multiple business entanglements, Martha is standing up to them and putting Arizonans and Americans first.

Border Security

Arizonans understand that border security is national security, and Martha is your border security senator. She has worked with the Trump Administration to fund more than 300 miles of new border wall system at our southern border. Martha will always stand behind our border patrol agents and has voted to ensure they have everything they need to do their jobs safely. To that end, she advocated and voted for additional funding for:
    • Construction of additional border wall system along the southern border;
    • Hiring border patrol agents and officers to address staffing shortages and patrol the border and ports of entry;
    • The modernization and construction of ports of entry, as well as technology to facilitate legitimate trade and travel;
    • Expanding border surveillance capabilities through sensors and radars along our borders; and
    • Air assistance to our agents on the ground through both fixed wing and rotary aircraft.
For her relentless efforts as Arizona’s Border Senator, Martha once again received the endorsement of the National Border Patrol Council, representing more than 18,000 agents. They support her in this election because of her commitment to the men and women who work hard every day to keep our country and communities safe.

Defense & Veterans

Martha served our country honorably for 26 years in the U.S. Air Force. She was the first woman in U.S. history to fly a fighter jet in combat and command a fighter squadron in combat. She deployed to the Middle East and Afghanistan six times and flew 325 combat hours in the mighty A-10 warthog. She retired as a colonel in 2010.
Under the Obama-Biden administration, our military was decimated. They cut our military by 25%, creating the worst readiness crisis in a generation. Not only did these spending cuts erode our strategic edge over our adversaries, but it also led to an unacceptable increase in loss of lives during training and safety risks.
Martha has worked with the Trump administration to rebuild our military and give them the resources they need to protect the homeland and defend our allies from bad actors around the globe.
Martha channeled her own experience as a survivor of military sexual assault into fighting for our servicewomen. In 2019, 17 of her 18 provisions to combat sexual assault in the military made it into the National Defense Authorization Act, which was signed into law.
She went to bat to secure funding for critical military assets housed in Arizona, including saving the A-10 at Davis-Monthan AFB and funding the F-35 at Luke AFB and Yuma Marine Corps Air Station. She also helped secure additional parental leave for servicemembers after the birth or adoption of a new child, fought for the largest pay raise in a decade, and is leading to remove career barriers for military spouses like costly licensing fees.
There is no better champion for our men and women in uniform than Martha McSally.

Economy

Before China unleashed this pandemic on us, our economy was the strongest it’s been in our lifetime. At 3.5%, unemployment was at the lowest point in over half a century. There was record low unemployment for Black, Hispanic, and Asian Americans. We had the lowest poverty rate in more than 50 years.
With the leadership of Martha McSally and Republicans in Congress, the president signed into law historic tax cuts that saved the average middle-class Arizona family $2,000 every year. That means more money back in your pockets.
Amid this historic growth, 71% of the new jobs last year went to women, and 22 million families have benefited from the doubling of the child tax credit—Senator McSally is working to make that permanent for Arizona families.
Together with the Trump Administration, Martha has supported unprecedented regulatory relief for American businesses, farmers and ranchers, and workers. She supported the repeal of 16 regulations that were imposed through executive overreach under President Obama. These burdensome regulations were costly to American households and small businesses. Their repeal saved the economy $4.1 billion. Martha is also leading on legislation to rein in unelected federal bureaucrats by requiring that Congress affirmatively approve every new agency rule that would have an annual economic impact of at least $100 million.
Democrats not only want to undo the middle-class tax cuts and deregulation Martha fought for, but they also plan to implement the largest tax increase in modern history. They think they know how to spend your money better than you do. Martha is standing up against the Democrats’ plan to take more money out of your wallets.

Health Care

Everywhere she goes, Martha hears from Arizonans who can’t afford their health insurance or the high cost of their prescription drugs. Under Obamacare, Arizonans’ premiums skyrocketed and their deductibles were so high making the insurance unusable. The unaffordable, broken, government-run health care system the Democrats want to expand would close rural hospitals collapse Medicare, raise taxes, and eliminate private insurance, kicking more than 178 million Americans off of their employer-based health plans.
Both Republicans and Democrats agree on protecting people with pre-existing conditions, and Martha has a record of co-sponsoring and voting for legislation to protect people with pre-existing conditions. But when Arizonans can’t afford their premiums and prescriptions because of unaffordable costs under Obamacare, that doesn’t protect people with pre-existing conditions. While Democrats work to maintain and expand bureaucratic, government-run health care that isn’t work for Arizonans, Martha is working with her colleagues on both sides of the aisle to implement a better solution to bring down costs and provide more choices to families.
The high cost of prescription drugs is one of the top concerns of Arizonans. Too many Arizonans and seniors are forced to split pills or leave medication on the pharmacy counter due to sticker shock and exorbitant costs. Martha is taking on big Pharma and introduced her own bill to lower the cost of prescription drugs. She is a co-sponsor of other solutions that are working toward the same goal.

Second Amendment

Martha is Arizona’s Second Amendment senator. As an A-10 pilot, she protected our ground troops in the Middle East and Afghanistan and shot the biggest gun of anyone in Congress!
Martha put her life on the line to protect our Constitutional freedoms, including the Second Amendment. As a veteran, gun-owner, and conservative, Martha is standing up to the radical activists who are seeking to rollback our rights.
Martha’s record serving Arizona in Congress shows that she has worked to protect due process for veterans and seniors, while strengthening the existing background check system.

Public Safety

Our law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day for our safety, and they deserve our unending respect and gratitude.
Martha’s commitment to backing the blue earned her the endorsement of the Arizona Police Association, an organization representing more than 12,000 uniformed officers in our state. They know she will always stand up for them and make sure they have the resources they need to keep our communities safe.
While Martha and her fellow Republicans believe in supporting law enforcement, the growing reckless calls on the Left to defund the police are dangerous and would leave our families less safe.
We must continue to ensure our communities are safe for all Arizonans, and that includes advocating responsible policing reforms. Martha co-sponsored and supported Senator Tim Scott’s policing reform legislation that would have: provided more training for police officers in de-escalation and the duty to intervene; made lynching a federal hate crime; created a national policing commission to conduct a review of the U.S. criminal justice system; collected data on use of force by police; banned the use of chokeholds by federal officers and withhold federal funds to state and local law enforcement agencies that do not ban them; and withheld federal money to police departments that fail to report to the Justice Department when no-knock warrants are used. Not a single Democrat would support this meaningful legislation.

Sanctity of Life

Martha has a strong record of upholding the sanctity of life and believes taxpayers should not be forced to fund abortions. She is pro-life and supports three exceptions in the cases of rape, incest, or if the life of mother is at risk.
Martha has consistently advocated for funding for low income women to get access to birth control and for contraceptives to be available over the counter.
One of the greatest tragedies of the modern Democrat Party is their unabashed embrace of abortion without any restrictions. As it stands the United States is one of only seven countries that allows late term abortions—including China and North Korea. This is unacceptable. She believes we must stand up and protect the innocent lives of unborn babies.

[99]

—Martha McSally's 2020 campaign website[100]


2018

Campaign website

No campaign themes were available on McSally's campaign website, as of September 14, 2018.


2016

Campaign website

The following issues were listed on McSally's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

  • Independent Leadership: Southern Arizona has a long and proud history of being represented by strong, independent leaders. We need that leadership again–now more than ever.
  • Balancing the Budget: America is $19 trillion in debt and growing, and we cannot continue to spend recklessly and hand this debt to future generations. Getting our fiscal house in order is not just about budgets; it’s an economic imperative. A government that spends within its means spurs growth, protects investments in critical government functions, and ensures we hand future generations a strong and secure country.
  • Reigniting our Economy: Our community is still suffering from the recession and lack of economic growth and opportunity. Middle class families are struggling to make ends meet and are living paycheck to paycheck. Seniors are suffering as their hard-earned retirement savings diminish. Young people are struggling to afford college, graduating with unprecedented debt, and are met with little opportunity when entering the workforce, and many are leaving Southern Arizona because of it.
  • Rebuilding the Middle Class: I’m running for Congress because it’s time we make our economy and government work for the middle class again. This starts by putting a stop to the never-ending bureaucracy that impedes small businesses’ ability to grow, innovate, and hire.
  • Enacting Patient-Centered Health Care Reform: Our health care system has been broken for a long time, but the president’s health care law is not the solution to fix it. In some cases, it is making matters worse. Because of Obamacare, families I’ve talked with are paying higher premiums, facing reduced choices, and losing insurance they liked and the doctors they’ve known and trusted for years.

[99]

—Martha McSally's campaign website, https://mcsallyforcongress.com/category/issues/

2014

McSally's campaign website listed the following four pillars of her campaign:[101]

  • Economy: "Families in our community are barely getting by, small businesses are struggling to survive, and Davis-Monthan is at risk of closing. Ron Barber favors job-killing policies that hurt middle class families and he was asleep at the wheel on the risk to DM until I alerted him in an August 27th op-ed. We need a representative in Congress who is going to champion solutions and policies that bring economic growth to Southern Arizona."
  • Leadership: "Washington is broken. People are rightfully fed up with politicians and incumbents. We need servant leadership more than ever, focused on what is best for the country and community, instead of worrying about their next election. I am ready to bring to Congress the core values I learned in the Air Force; service, excellence, and integrity. It’s time for a fresh face with a proven record of leadership to solve the challenges we face."
  • Government Overreach: "So many people in Southern Arizona have been hurt by Obamacare-the government takeover of 1/6 of the economy, and Ron Barber supports it. We need common sense solutions to bring down the cost of healthcare so it is more affordable and available, not social engineering founded on mandates, taxes, and penalties."
  • National Security: "America is facing an increasing array of threats to our security and way of life and we must ensure we have a military that is trained and equipped to protect us. This district contains two critical military bases, a large stretch of the border that is not secure, and 85,000 veterans, as well as citizens who care deeply about the lack of leadership in DC on national security, defense, and support to veterans. I served 26 years in the military, retiring as a full Colonel, and I have the experience and proven leadership to provide oversight to the Administration to defend America."

[99]

—Martha McSally's campaign website, https://mcsallyforcongress.com/3-pillars-campaign/

2012

McSally's campaign website listed the following issues:[102]

  • Constructive Role of Federal Government
Excerpt: "Year after year, the federal government has increased its reach into people’s lives, constraining our civil liberties and wasting the hard earned money of Americans. The Constitution is clear. Those powers not specifically given to the federal government belong to the states and the people."
  • Real Jobs & Economic Opportunities
Excerpt: "We have to reduce federal regulations, cut taxes, and stop Washington from choosing economic winners and losers based on who has the best lobbyists. We need to make the United States the most attractive place in the world to do business."
  • Forward Thinking National Security
Excerpt: "We face powerful and determined threats across the globe. I have spent my life defending America from these threats, and I’m not about to stop now. We have to be discerning of their intent and capabilities; we must be decisive about the course we take."
  • Reduce Government Spending & Debt
Excerpt: "A rising mountain of debt is hanging over each and every one of us. If we don’t rein in spending now and reduce our deficit, we risk the retirements of so many senior citizens who have worked and saved their entire lives, and the future of every generation to come. We have to get more bang for our tax buck. The wasteful, spending programs of recent years cannot continue."
  • Life
Excerpt: "I believe in the sanctity of every human life."

Noteworthy events

Government shutdown - 2015

McSally, along with 10 other GOP House freshmen, composed a letter to their Republican colleagues in September 2015, urging them to pass a resolution to avert a government shutdown. The letter read:

[W]e are writing today to express our strong support for a funding resolution that will avoid another unnecessary and harmful government shutdown. [W]e were elected by our constituent’s to be principled, pragmatic leaders... The sixteen-day government shutdown in 2013... not only hurt taxpayers with the loss of important government services — it actually cost more taxpayer money to close the federal government than to keep it open.[103][99]

Campaign finance summary


Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


Martha McSally campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2020U.S. Senate ArizonaLost general$73,553,299 $74,361,789
2018U.S. Senate ArizonaLost general$21,876,370 $20,952,576
2016U.S. House, Arizona District 2Won $8,333,245 N/A**
2014U.S. House (Arizona, District 2)Won $4,808,013 N/A**
2012U.S. House Arizona District 2Lost $1,458,135 N/A**
Grand total$110,029,062 $95,314,365
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only availabale data.

Analysis

Lifetime voting record

See also: Lifetime voting records of United States Senators and Representatives

According to the website GovTrack, McSally missed 0 of 505 roll call votes from January 2015 to September 2015. This amounted to 0 percent, which was lower than the median of 2.2 percent among representatives as of September 2015.[104]

Ballot measure activity

Note: Ballotpedia tracked Martha McSally as a ballot measures influencer through 2020. You can send information about this influencer’s current involvement with ballot measures to editor@ballotpedia.org.

The following table details Martha McSally's ballot measure stances available on Ballotpedia:

Ballot measure support and opposition for Kamala Harris
Ballot measure Year Position Status
Tucson, Arizona, Proposition 205, Sanctuary City Initiative (November 2019) 2019 Opposed[105]  DefeatedDefeatedd

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. AZCentral, "Martha McSally will be appointed to John McCain's Senate seat," December 18, 2018
  2. U.S. Senate, "U.S. Senator Martha McSally," accessed January 30, 2019
  3. 3.0 3.1 U.S. Representative Martha McSally, "Biography," accessed January 26, 2018
  4. Politico, "Republican McSally wins last House race of 2014," December 17, 2014
  5. U.S. Representative Martha McSally, "Committees and Caucuses," accessed January 26, 2018
  6. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "McSALLY, Martha, (1966 - )," accessed January 21, 2015
  7. U.S. House Clerk, "Official Alphabetical List of the House of Representatives of the United States One Hundred Fifteenth Congress," accessed February 2, 2017
  8. U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Clerk, "Committee Information," accessed February 18, 2015
  9. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 434," accessed December 13, 2018
  10. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 284," June 21, 2018
  11. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 282," June 21, 2018
  12. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 434," accessed March 12, 2019
  13. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 549," October 3, 2017
  14. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 344," June 29, 2017
  15. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 342," June 29, 2017
  16. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 256," May 4, 2017
  17. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 405," September 26, 2018
  18. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 399," September 13, 2018
  19. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 313," June 28, 2018
  20. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 257," June 8, 2018
  21. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 216," May 22, 2018
  22. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 127," March 22, 2018
  23. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 69," February 9, 2018
  24. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 60," February 6, 2018
  25. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 44," January 22, 2018
  26. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 33," January 18, 2018
  27. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 708," December 21, 2017
  28. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 692," December 19, 2017
  29. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 670," December 7, 2017
  30. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 637," November 16, 2017
  31. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 589," October 26, 2017
  32. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 557," October 5, 2017
  33. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 528," September 14, 2017
  34. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 480," September 8, 2017
  35. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 441," September 6, 2017
  36. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 299," June 8, 2017
  37. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 249," May 3, 2017
  38. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 230," May 24, 2018
  39. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 49," January 30, 2018
  40. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 631," November 14, 2017
  41. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 435," July 27, 2017
  42. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 413," July 25, 2017
  43. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 437," July 28, 2017
  44. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 407," July 24, 2017
  45. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 378," July 14, 2017
  46. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 136," March 8, 2017
  47. Congressional Record, "Resume of Congressional Activity, First Session of the 113th Congress," accessed April 29, 2015
  48. Congressional Record, "Resume of Congressional Activity, Second Session of the 114th Congress," accessed January 5, 2017
  49. Congressional Record, "Resume of Congressional Activity, First Session of the One Hundred Fourteenth Congress," April 13, 2015
  50. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 361," June 12, 2015
  51. Roll Call, "Deadline for TAA Do-Over Vote Extended to July 30 (Updated)," June 15, 2015
  52. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 362," June 12, 2015
  53. Roll Call, "Deadline for TAA Do-Over Vote Extended to July 30 (Updated)," June 15, 2015
  54. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 374," June 18, 2015
  55. Politico, "Trade turnaround: House backs new power for Obama," June 18, 2015
  56. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 388," June 24, 2015
  57. The Hill, "Obama signs trade bills," June 29, 2015
  58. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 239," accessed May 27, 2015
  59. Congress.gov, "H.R. 1735," accessed May 27, 2015
  60. The Hill, "Redone defense policy bill sails through House," accessed November 12, 2015
  61. Congress.gov, "S. 1356," accessed November 12, 2015
  62. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 618," accessed November 12, 2015
  63. Senate.gov, "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to S. 1356)," accessed November 12, 2015
  64. Congress.gov, "S.Con.Res.11," accessed May 5, 2015
  65. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 183," accessed May 5, 2015
  66. The Hill, "Republicans pass a budget, flexing power of majority," accessed May 5, 2015
  67. Congress.gov, "HR 1314 - Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015," accessed November 1, 2015
  68. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 579," accessed November 1, 2015
  69. Senate.gov, "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1314)," accessed November 1, 2015
  70. Congress.gov, "H.R.1191 - Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015," accessed May 16, 2015
  71. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 226," accessed May 16, 2015
  72. Congress.gov, "HR 3461," accessed September 11, 2015
  73. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 493," accessed September 11, 2015
  74. Congress.gov, "HR 3460," accessed September 10, 2015
  75. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 494," accessed September 11, 2015
  76. Congress.gov, "H Res 411," accessed September 10, 2015
  77. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 492," accessed September 10, 2015
  78. Congress.gov, "HR 597," accessed November 2, 2015
  79. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 576," accessed November 2, 2015
  80. Congress.gov, "H.R.2048," accessed May 26, 2015
  81. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 224," accessed May 26, 2015
  82. Congress.gov, "HR 36 - the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act," accessed May 16, 2015
  83. Clerk.House.gov, "HR 36," accessed May 16, 2015
  84. Congress.gov, "HR 1731," accessed November 2, 2015
  85. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 173," accessed November 2, 2015
  86. Congress.gov, "HR 1560 - Protecting Cyber Networks Act," accessed November 1, 2015
  87. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 170," accessed November 1, 2015
  88. Congress.gov, "HR 4038 - the American SAFE Act of 2015," accessed November 20, 2015
  89. Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 643," accessed November 20, 2015
  90. The Tucson Weekly, "It's Official: State Rep. Victoria Steele is Running for Congress & Hopes to Unseat McSally," July 7, 2015
  91. Azcentral, "Democrat joins race for Congress against Martha McSally," July 30, 2015
  92. Arizona Secretary of State, "2016 Primary Candidates," accessed June 2, 2016
  93. Politico, " Arizona House Primaries Results," August 30, 2016
  94. CNN, "Election Results," accessed November 8, 2016
  95. Seattle PI, "Voters in Arizona's 2nd pick Barber over McSally," November 17, 2012
  96. Arizona Secretary of State, "Official primary candidate list," August 28, 2012
  97. Associated Press, "Primary results," August 28, 2012
  98. Washington Post, "Voters in Arizona's 8th Congressional District pick Kelly as GOP candidate for Giffords' seat," April 18, 2012
  99. 99.0 99.1 99.2 99.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  100. Martha McSally's 2020 campaign website, “Issues,” accessed Oct. 21, 2020
  101. Campaign website, "The 3 Pillars of My Campaign," accessed June 10, 2014
  102. Campaign website, "Issues," accessed August 10, 2012
  103. Politico, "GOP freshmen urge party to avoid shutdown," September 23, 2015
  104. GovTrack, "Rep. Martha McSally (R)," accessed September 23, 2015
  105. KTAR, "McSally says initiative would make Tucson ‘sanctuary for criminals’," July 22, 2019
Political offices
Preceded by
John McCain
U.S. Senate - Arizona
2019-2020
Succeeded by
Mark Kelly (D)
Preceded by
Ron Barber
U.S. House - Arizona District 2
2015-2019
Succeeded by
Ann Kirkpatrick (D)


Senators
Representatives
District 1
District 2
Eli Crane (R)
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
Republican Party (6)
Democratic Party (4)
Independent (1)