Arizona’s Senate race between Republican Martha McSally and Democrat Kyrsten Sinema emphasizes the importance women have on and off the ballot during the 2018 midterm elections. No matter the outcome, the state will make history by electing its first female senator in its 106 year history.
Women Hold Massive Power in 2018 Midterm Elections
LESTER HOLT, anchor:
That brings us to the striking numbers in our latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. It show that men favoring Republicans and women favoring Democrats in what may be one of the biggest gender gaps we’ve ever seen. Our Kristen Welker takes us inside one critical We Senate race to show us the massive power women this year hold on the ballot and in the voting booth.
KRISTEN WELKER, reporting:
If there’s any doubt, this is the year of the woman, look no further than Arizona. The razor-tight race between two female congresswomen, Republican Martha McSally and Democrat Kyrsten Sinema.
KYRSTEN SINEMA: We know what’s at stake.
WELKER: McSally, a former fighter pilot, is in lockstep with the President’s agenda from health care to the border wall. Does President Trump help you or hurt you in this race?
MARTHA MCSALLY: He won Arizona. He certainly energizes Republicans.
WELKER: Sinema, an educator and triathlete, has voted to fund the border wall but oppose the President’s tax cuts.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: A vote for Kyrsten Sinema is a wasted vote.
WELKER: Why should those voters who agree with his agenda vote for you on Election Day?
SINEMA: Well, I vote for issues that the President agrees on when they are right for Arizona. And I vote against the issues that he supports when they are wrong for Arizona.
WELKER: Women around the country are running in record numbers. 23 women on the ballot for U.S. Senate and 235 in House races. And while there’s a lot of focus on female candidates, even more critical could be female voters who are shaping up to possibly be one of the most consequential voting blocks this year. A recent national poll shows women voters are breaking for Democrats by a margin of more than two to one, like Democrat Judy Schreiber in Phoenix who’s organized her book club into a movement of nearly a thousand aimed at putting more women in office.
JUDY SCHREIBER: We have almost 30 people here making phone calls to our neighbors.
WELKER: But Republican women are energized, too.
WOMAN: I’m voting for Martha McSally. I like her background. I like her views.
WELKER: And those women could determine who wins this race and becomes Arizona’s first female senator, a history-making contest with control of Congress at stake. Kristen Welker, NBC News, Phoenix.
