As Arizona continues to mourn the death of Sen. John McCain, voters cast ballots to replace Sen. Jeff Flake in one of the nation’s mostwatched races.
PHOENIX — Arizona voters were nominating candidates Tuesday to replace one of President Donald Trump’s fiercest critics in the Senate, a primary contest amid increasing political change in a closely watched political battleground.
The weekend death of Sen. John McCain, who represented Arizona for six decades, means both of the state’s Senate seats will change hands by year’s end.
Tuesday’s primary contest was for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Jeff Flake, whose opposition to Trump badly hurt his standing with the conservative Republican voters who dominate Arizona’s GOP primaries. The state’s governor will name a replacement to fill McCain’s seat.
The three Republicans competing Tuesday embraced Trump and distanced themselves from McCain, including establishment favorite Rep. Martha McSally.
Among those on the Arizona ballot were former state Sen. Kelli Ward, who tried unsuccessfully to unseat McCain in 2016, and former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. When McCain’s family said last week that he was discontinuing medical treatment, Ward speculated in a laterdeleted Facebook post that the announcement was intended to hurt her campaign for Flake’s seat.
Ward apologized Monday.
Meanwhile, several locations opened hours behind schedule because voting machines had not been set up on time. The office of Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes said 62 polling places didn’t open on time, but all were operating by 11:30 a.m.
The county has about 750 locations. No voting machine problems were reported in other parts of the state.
Arizona was one of three states holding elections Tuesday.
The primaries in both Arizona and Florida were closely watched for signs of how the political battlegrounds might tilt in the 2020 presidential election.
In Oklahoma: GOP voters in reliably Republican Oklahoma backed mortgage company owner Kevin Stitt in a runoff for the gubernatorial nomination. The 45year-old owner of Gateway Mortgage Group defeated former Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett and advances to face Democrat Drew Edmondson and the winner of the Libertarian runoff in November.
Two-term Republican Gov. Mary Fallin couldn’t run again because of term limits.
Stitt won in part by criticizing his opponent as insufficiently supportive of Trump. Stitt also embraced his standing as a political outsider.
In Florida: Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum upset a crowded field of wellfunded candidates in the Democratic gubernatorial primary Tuesday, a step away from becoming the state’s first black governor. His surprise victory sets up a November showdown with Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis, a favorite of President Trump.
Gillum’s victory could further energize black voters in a year when Democrats are already counting on high turnout among minorities to buoy the party in the November election. Gillum is the party’s third black gubernatorial nominee this year, along with Stacey Abrams in Georgia and Ben Jealous in Maryland.
DeSantis rode Trump’s endorsement to victory in the GOP race, underscoring the president’s broad appeal in Republican primaries. Trump cheered DeSantis’ victory Tuesday night on Twitter, writing: “Ron will be a fantastic Governor. On to November!”
DeSantis was one of several Republicans running in contests Tuesday in Florida and Arizona — both important political battlegrounds — who hoped that cozying up to the president would be rewarded by voters. Trump has thrust himself into the forefront of the midterm campaign in hopes of motivating his supporters and offsetting Democratic enthusiasm.
Trump surprised Florida Republicans late last year with his endorsement of DeSantis, and frequently tweeted about the lawmaker, one of his staunchest supporters in Washington. His backing helped push DeSantis past Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, who has held elected office in Florida since 1996, quickly built up establishment support and raised millions of dollars.
Gillum came from behind in a crowded and diverse Democratic field. Former Rep. Gwen Graham, whose father, Bob Graham, served as governor, had been hoping to position herself to become the state’s first female governor. The winner of the Florida governor’s race will give his party an advantage in a key political battleground heading into the 2020 presidential campaign.