Republican Martha McSally defeated Democratic challenger Matt Heinz Tuesday night to win a second term in Congress.
At an election night party in Tucson, McSally told supporters to âstart ordering some champagne!â
McSally maintained a healthy lead after early voting results were posted.
Congressional District 2 includes 414,500 voters in Pima and Cochise counties. Voters are evenly divided among Democrats, Republicans and independents, making it a competitive district.
McSally, a retired Air Force colonel, first ran for Congress in 2012 and was first elected to Congress in 2014. She was unopposed in this yearâs primary.
On election night, McSally said her campaign was different this year because she has a two-year record to run on. She said sheâs avoided unproductive âpolitical posturingâ and tried to look for issues where thereâs some common ground and bipartisan support.
Heinz is an emergency-room physician and former state representative who previously ran for Congress in 2012.
On the campaign trail, Heinz said McSally was part of an unproductive Congress.
McSally said she was proud to get nine bills passed through the House, two signed into law, and âbig winsâ on the annual defense bill and the long-term highway bill.
She acknowledged that the district is very divided politically. âIâm always looking for the things that unite us versus the things that divide us (and) my record shows that,â McSally said.
Heinz said his chances werenât hurt by a close primary race with former state representative Victoria Steele.
He also raised less money than McSally and was targeted by a SuperPAC late in the race, with the Congressional Leadership Fund spending $700,000 to run ads critical of him.
