With an estimated 56% of Arizona voters saying they have already cast their ballots, Republican Blake Masters is gaining last-minute momentum in his race against Democrat Sen. Mark Kelly.
The last survey (the Marist Poll), conducted three days ago, showed Kelly edging Masters among those who definitely plan to vote by 50% to 47%— down from the Democrat's 5-point advantage among the same definite voters in September.
Marist also found that the top issue on the minds of Grand Canyon State voters is inflation, with 37% of them citing it compared to 26% who feel that "preserving democracy" is the most important issue, and 15% naming abortion as their top concern.
"And [Republican] Kari Lake is headed toward a big win in the race for governor and that is definitely going to help Blake," former State GOP Chair Randy Pullen told Newsmax on Friday.
Venture capitalist Masters, 36, got a boost last week when Libertarian nominee Marc Victor announced he was abandoning his candidacy and supporting the GOP nominee.
Under Arizona law, however, Victor will be unable to remove this name from the state ballot. His endorsement of Masters came on the heels of the Republican sending out an online photo with his political hero and role model, former Texas Rep. and libertarian ideal Ron Paul.
Kelly, former astronaut and onetime Navy combat pilot, is the husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz., who was severely wounded in a 2010 shooting in Arizona. She recently made a rare appearance with her husband and former President Barack Obama, who denounced Masters, Lake, and the Republican nominees for secretary of state and attorney general as "election deniers."
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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