Help for McSally: Big names flock to Arizona.

Big-name Republicans are flocking to Arizona to support U.S. Senate hopeful Martha McSally, hoping to persuade undecided voters to commit to her and to energize others who otherwise might not cast a ballot in the Nov. 6 election.

President Donald Trump, former President George W. Bush and 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney are powerful conservative surrogates representing all elements of the party. All three are bolstering McSally’s candidacy with rallies and private fundraisers in one of the fiercest Senate races in the nation.

Trump is scheduled to touch down in Phoenix late Thursday. He has multiple events with McSally on Friday, including a visit to Luke Air Force Base expected to highlight her military service, a private fundraiser around lunchtime with wealthy GOP donors to fill her campaign coffers, and a “Make America Great Again”themed rally in a Mesa air hangar to reinforce his public support.

Bush is scheduled to arrive in Phoenix earlier Thursday, for a private reception at 5:30 p.m. Romney paid a visit Oct. 12.

McSally’s opponent, Democrat Kyrsten Sinema, is standing alone.

Sinema’s schedule is not filled with mass gatherings, and her campaign does not share who is headlining her many fundraisers, although glimpses of national figures sometimes appear on social media. From thousands of miles away, Sinema accepted the endorsements of former President Barack Obama and his vice president, Joe Biden, but there are no plans for either to make an appearance.

Early votes are already pouring in, and the candidates’ closing strategies will be tested as they try to succeed incumbent U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake, who did not seek re-election.

McSally is counting on the surrogates to help her make her case, borrowing a page from the traditional campaign playbook.

Sinema is leaning in on her would-be constituents, ripping up that traditional playbook. Her strategy: maintaining public distance from Democratic bosses who could tarnish her independent political brand.

McSally was faced with a competitive Republican primary in which she had to spend time and money to defeat two conservative candidates. Given Arizona’s election calendar — a late primary and a 10-week sprint to the general election — McSally and her allies have a short timetable to reach voters.

Kevin McLaughlin, a former deputy executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and a former chief aide to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas., said the timing of the appearances maximizes coverage for McSally.

“A lot of voters don’t dial in ... and if you hold events earlier in the cycle, are you talking to anyone?” he said. “Whey would you want to waste a good surrogate when you’re not gong to get a bang for your buck?”

McSally said the big names can help make sure voters understand the stakes of the race. She said her campaign is winning over “a lot of Democrats” who feel abandoned by their party.

“We want to make sure that people realize how important this election is, and that Republicans — we’re a big tent — and we’re pretty unified right now, but we’re a big tent,” McSally said Wednesday.

Other McSally surrogates include U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, who participated in a women in leadership event with her earlier this month. Ronna Romney McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee, was in the Phoenix area on Tuesday for a GOP door-knocking operation.

Trump could make a second trip to Arizona before the election, and Vice President Mike Pence also may make an appearance.

The way Democrats see it, there is no better surrogate for Sinema than herself.

Democratic strategist Andy Barr was the spokesman for Richard Carmona, his party’s 2012 candidate against Flake. Barr said Sinema is trying to sell a specific story about herself and her campaign.

Only she can tell it, he said.

Given Democratic unity in the Trump era, Sinema is focused on targeting potential Republican crossover voters and independent voters, not uniting the party’s base around her.

Democrats have long hoped Arizona’s changing demographics and rapid population growth of Latinos eventually would turn the state from red to purple, and, maybe one day, blue.

Republicans hold the registration advantage and carried the state over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton by 3.5 percentage points.

“Democrats are so eager to win, we don’t need to do a lot of base consolidation and engagement,” Barr said.

“We need to do whatever we can to ... give Republicans the permission structure to vote for her, even if they’ve never voted for a Democrat before.”

Don’t expect any big names to stump for Sinema in the final stretch.

At her public events, usually held at Democratic field offices packed with volunteers, she is usually introduced by a supporter whose personal connection to Sinema represents a theme of her candidacy.

In recent weeks, Sinema has stood by smiling as she was introduced to supporters by a woman with a preexisting health condition. Other times, it’s a veteran who vouches for her work to make college more accessible for them. Last week, a doctor warmed up the room before Sinema took the floor.

Asked about her surrogate strategy Wednesday, Sinema said she isn’t taking any vote for granted. Nor is she expecting anyone to vote for her just because of their party registration.

“My campaign has been focused on earning those votes myself,” she said. “... that’s what you’re going to see in these last couple of weeks. Not surrogates.”