18 races to follow for the 2018 midterms

7. Arizona

Candidates: Republican challenger Martha McSally vs. Democrat challenger Kyrsten Sinema

No matter how this elections turns out, the race for Arizona’s next senator will be a historic one. Martha McSally, the Republican challenger, and Democratic Representative Kyrsten Sinema are both women, meaning that Arizona will be guaranteed its first-ever female senator. It also means that the widely reviled former Sheriff Joe Arpaio has no chance in the race at all.

This race has gained special attention after Senator Jeff Flake announced his decision to not seek re-election earlier this year. Flake had joined his fellow Republicans who either chose to retire or simply not go for re-election this year. Many speculated that this group of GOP politicians had already seen a Democratic “blue wave” approaching in the 2018 midterm elections. An expensive and potentially exhausting run for office, with the significant chance of failure, must have seemed to be too much for many.

Then again, nothing is guaranteed, and a rush of newly elected Democrats can’t be confirmed until January. Until then, almost anything can happen.

That might be what Rep. Martha McSally is hoping for. As the Republican in this senatorial race, she’s pointed to her ties to President Donald Trump in a bid to gain support from right-leaning voters. She later earned his endorsement after winning the primary on August 28.

Still, Democratic nominee Rep. Kyrsten Sinema has a real chance of winning. She would also, coincidentally or not, become the first openly bisexual senator if elected. Either way, this is shaping up to be a competitive race indeed.

Campaign website for Martha McSally: https://www.mcsallyforsenate.com/
Campaign website for Kyrsten Sinema: http://kyrstensinema.com/