A political sign for the Trump-Pence campaign is covered with plexiglass and held in place with reinforcing bar and liquid cement along E. Sunrise Dr. between N. Swan Rd. and N. Campbell Rd. in Tucson, Ariz. on Oct. 26, 2020. Itβs one of at least eight signs the have been βarmoredβ on that stretch of road. A man who did not want to be identified told the photographer that βdemocrats and liberalsβ are leaving βbooby trapsβ and damaging signs.
A political sign for the Trump-Pence campaign is covered with plexiglass and held in place with reinforcing bar and liquid cement along E. Sunrise Dr. between N. Swan Rd. and N. Campbell Rd. in Tucson, Ariz. on Oct. 26, 2020. Itβs one of at least eight signs the have been βarmoredβ on that stretch of road. A man who did not want to be identified told the photographer that βdemocrats and liberalsβ are leaving βbooby trapsβ and damaging signs.
Rebecca Sasnett / Arizona Daily Star
Fundraising for Sen. Martha McSally, right, and Democratic opponent Mark Kelly has been setting records.
Sen. Martha McSally didnβt seem to get a very warm welcome from President Trump when she joined him in Goodyear on Wednesday for a campaign rally.
This is how Trump called her to the podium: βMartha, come up fast. Come on. Quick. You got one minute. One minute, Martha,β he said. βThey donβt want to hear this, Martha. Come on. Letβs go.β
The apparent snub caught the attention of a few national political reporters. Arizona Republic opinion columnist Laurie Roberts also noticed it, writing later that it was βpainful to watch as the president who dodged the draft treated the nationβs first female combat pilot with such disrespect.β
Trump was much nicer to the incumbent Republican at another campaign stop in Bullhead City earlier in the day. Though he didnβt call her up to speak, he introduced her there by saying she has done βa fantastic job in the Senate, and sheβs respected by everyone there including me.β
Moments later, Trump turned to her and said, almost pleadingly, βWill you please win? You gotta win, OK?β
McSally posted a video on Twitter of Trumpβs introduction in Bullhead City, and she thanked him for the kind words.
Republican senator picks up Buzz-worthy endorsement
McSally otherwise scored a Buzz-worthy endorsement in the final days of her campaign against Democratic challenger and former astronaut Mark Kelly.
Apollo 11 lunar module pilot Edwin βBuzzβ Aldrin threw his support behind McSally in a pair of Twitter posts on Oct. 24.
McSally responded with a tweet of her own, calling it an βabsolute honorβ to have the support of a hero like Aldrin.
The second man to walk on the moon became the fourth NASA veteran to endorse McSally over Kelly. Early this month, former astronauts Tom Stafford, Charlie Duke and Jack Lousma praised the incumbent and blasted her opponent and his party in an Arizona Republic op-ed.
Could this be a sign that Kelly has lost the backing of spaceflight veterans? Or does it simply mean that astronauts have their own partisan preferences, just like everyone else?
In Buzzβs case, he has endorsed a number of mostly right-leaning candidates in recent decades, including George W. Bush in 2004 and Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw in 2018. Last year, he appeared at the State of the Union address as a guest of President Trump.
Aldrinβs Arizona Senate endorsement seemed to acknowledge something that political analysts have been saying for months now: McSally is trailing in the race.
In his tweets, Aldrin advised Kelly to check his βsixβ β pilot speak for the area directly behind him β and encouraged McSally to βwaveβ as she caught up and passed him.
Chris Taylor, a former Republican candidate for Arizonaβs Congressional District 1 who dropped out of the race to seek treatment for drug abuse, has endorsed Democrat incumbent Tom OβHalleran in his race against Tiffany Shedd.
Taylor, a Safford city council member, Army veteran and volunteer firefighter, exited the race in February after experiencing a relapse in his heroin addiction. He has since endorsed a slew of Democrats, including Joe Biden, saying he is βcompletely rejecting the toxic cloud of Trumpism that has settled over our land like a deadly plague.β
βI know Tom to be a decent and honorable man, who is a constant example of civility and respect that seems to be in short supply these days. He represents our district in a thoughtful and bipartisan manner,β Taylor said in a statement. βHe understands that AZ-1 is a diverse district, one that is filled with citizens, cities and towns of varying cultures and needs. He puts in the time to travel the district and listens to the concerns of constituents. He is one of the only sitting congressmen that I ever remember spending any amount of time in my small community of Safford. This shows how much he cares for people and not just about winning elections.β
Photos: Emergency Circus gets out the vote in Tucson