Five takeaways from Arizona Senate debate between Mark Kelly and Blake Masters

[mystery-ak]

Five takeaways from Arizona Senate debate between Mark Kelly and Blake Masters
by Virginia Aabram, Congressional Reporter
October 06, 2022 11:22 PM

Arizona Senate candidates Blake Masters (R) and Sen. Mark Kelly (D) met Thursday night for their first and only debate that saw abortion, voting, and the economy take center stage.

The candidates grilled each other on their willingness to work across the aisle and accused one another of being too extreme and out of the mainstream on abortion policy. Here are five notable moments from the debate.

1. Masters frames election around economy — Kelly focuses on abortion

In his opening statement, Masters immediately focused on inflation and the struggling economy that the majority of voters have ranked as their top concerns heading into the midterm election next month.

"Everything you need to live keeps going up and up. It wasn't like this two years ago. What changed?" he asked. "Well, Joe Biden took over, and in Washington, Mark Kelly backs Joe Biden every single time without thinking twice, without thinking of Arizona."

Kelly also acknowledged the economy but pivoted to Masters' "dangerous" ideas about abortion and entitlements.

"Blake Masters, my opponent, on the other hand, has some beliefs that are just dangerous for Arizona," Kelly said. "He celebrated when Arizona enacted an abortion ban, and he wants to privatize your Social Security, sending your savings to Wall Street."

Later on, he came back to the state's 15-week abortion ban that was enacted last year, saying, "Arizona women have totally lost the right to make a decision about abortion. It's devastating. It's wrong. It's exactly what my opponent Blake Masters wants."

2. Kelly touts bipartisanship and distances himself from Biden

Kelly distanced himself from President Joe Biden's border policy, proudly recalling how he is not in lockstep with the administration just because they share a party.

"I told him he was wrong. I pushed back on this administration multiple times," he said.

"The only way you can do this is through bipartisanship," Kelly said. "It's working together, working across the aisle to get things done like [late Republican Sen.] John McCain did. You know my opponent, Blake Masters — he doesn't want to work with anybody. He doesn't want to work with Republicans. You know, he calls Democrats psychopaths and that they're evil. That's not been the spirit of how Arizona senators work to the benefit of our state."

Masters responded that teaming up with centrist Democrats such as Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) is possible, but he wouldn't be able to work with progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).

"There's something very wrong with people who don't want to enforce federal law, who don't believe in borders," he said.

more
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/5-takeaways-arizona-senate-debate-mark-kelly-blake-masters

[mystery-ak]

Blake Masters: Mark Kelly Backs Bill Allowing Taxpayer-Funded Abortion Until Birth

Sean Moran 6 Oct 2022

Arizona Senate Republican candidate Blake Masters said his opponent, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), backed legislation that would allow for taxpayer funding of abortion until birth.

“Sen. Mark Kelly is the abortion radical. Sen. Kelly … sponsored a bill that would have mandated legal abortion nationwide, get this, up until the moment of birth. Take a second to think about how truly radical that is,” Master said during the abortion section of their debate Thursday.

Masters added that the only similar countries with “no limits abortion policies” are China and North Korea and that America’s abortion policies should be more similar to every other “civilized country in the world.” The Arizona conservative added that he backs an Arizona law that bans abortions after 15 weeks.

Despite Kelly’s efforts to paint Masters as a radical, it appears that the Arizona Democrat harbors more radical policies on abortion.

Kelly has cosponsored the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021, which goes well beyond Roe v. Wade. The legislation would eliminate conscious and religious exemptions and override state laws that require parental consent before a minor can receive an abortion.

more
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/10/06/blake-masters-mark-kelly-backs-bill-allows-taxpayer-funded-abortion-birth/

[mystery-ak]

Democrat Mark Kelly Lies on the Border During Debate Opening Statement

Democrat Mark Kelly lied about his record on the border in his debate opening statement in the debate against Republican Blake Masters.

Democrat incumbent Mark Kelly lied in his opening statement during his debate against Blake Masters, falsely claiming that he has stood up for border security.

“When Democrats are wrong, like on the border, I call them out on it, because I’m always going to stick up for Arizona,” Kelly remarked

In actuality, Mark Kelly has repeatedly voted against border security. In February 2021, Kelly voted against an amendment that would have kept the Biden administration from being able to cancel existing border wall contracts.

The Democrat Senator from Arizona voted against a measure that would have prohibited the Internal Revenue Service from hiring any new agents until the U.S. Border Patrol doubled its forces.

Kelly has also voted to end Title 42, which allows the government to suspend entry of immigrants into the United States for reasons of public safety.

In May of the same year, Kelly voted against border security again, this time voting against an amendment that would have prohibited the Biden administration from cancelling border wall contracts for which funds had already been appropriated. Kelly similarly voted against border security again in August.

Kelly has voted with Joe Biden’s priorities over 94 percent of the time.

Later in the debate, Masters blasted Kelly for his terrible performance on the border, saying, “We have a wide open southern border, so if that’s the best you can do, I respectfully request you resign.”

https://www.breitbart.com/midterm-election/2022/10/06/democrat-mark-kelly-lies-on-the-border-during-debate-opening-statement/

[mystery-ak]

Blake Masters Decimates Mark Kelly at Debate, Libertarian Candidate Goes Full Libertarian
By Bonchie | 8:45 AM on October 07, 2022

Arizona held its first (and only) senatorial debate of the election season on Thursday between Republican Blake Masters, Democrat Mark Kelly, and some libertarian dude that we’ll get to momentarily. RedState offered some initial live coverage on Thursday, and now the clips are making the rounds.

Unfortunately for Kelly, he probably should have agreed to a few more debates, because if this is the performance he’s going to leave hanging out there for voters, it’s a bad one. I know it’s cliche to suggest that one side decimated the other side, but Masters delivered a series of money lines that will now be going viral over the next few days, and that’s really what a debate is about these days. Few people watch them live, but the narratives that get exposed to a much larger audience in the aftermath can linger.

Obviously, a major issue in Arizona is the border crisis given its cities suffer immensely under the weight of Joe Biden’s failed policies. Kelly attempted to shun the White House when questioned, suggesting that the president’s ideas are “dumb” and that he’s been a real warrior on the border. Blake then delivered a jaw rattler of a counter-punch.

https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1578195453442662400

more

https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1578195453442662400

[Cyber Liberty]

6:  The Washington Examiner has gone completely in the tank for Democrats.  Masters mopped the floor with the Astronaut.

[Right_in_Virginia]

6:  The Washington Examiner has gone completely in the tank for Democrats.  Masters mopped the floor with the Astronaut.

Masters sure did!

[Right_in_Virginia]

"Democrat Sen. Mark Kelly: "I've been focused on the border since day one."

@bgmasters: "We have a wide open southern border, so if that's the best you can do, I respectfully request you resign." 🔥🔥🔥"  (Video)

https://mobile.twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1578195453442662400

[Right_in_Virginia]

"Powerful Answer @bgmasters On Border Crisis" (Video)

https://mobile.twitter.com/ColumbiaBugle/status/1578200962761883648

[Right_in_Virginia]

The Columbia Bugle
@ColumbiaBugle

.bgmasters:  "That means a wall, it means doubling the size of border patrol, and it means let's get back to deporting people who try to break into our country, something that Mark Kelly routinely votes against."

10:40 PM · Oct 6, 2022  Twitter Web App

[catfish1957]

6:  The Washington Examiner has gone completely in the tank for Democrats.  Masters mopped the floor with the Astronaut.

Has early voting started yet?  And was it enough to put him over the top.  Even GOP push polls like Trafalgar had Kelly leading.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Tom Bevan
@TomBevanRCP

Masters: Mark Kelly voted no on 18,000 new border patrol agents, and voted in favor of 87,000 new IRS agents.

9:16 PM · Oct 6, 2022  ·Twitter Web App

[sneakypete]

"The only way you can do this is through bipartisanship," Kelly said. "It's working together, working across the aisle to get things done like [late Republican Sen.] John McCain did. "

@mystery-ak

"Kkkkkkk-kaint we all juz git a-long?"

Bragging you are like McLunatic is counter-productive unless you are a globalist.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Kari Lake
@KariLake

"Call me old fashioned but I think the correct amount of illegal immigration is zero." -Blake Masters

9:22 PM · Oct 6, 2022  ·Twitter for iPhone

[catfish1957]

"The only way you can do this is through bipartisanship," Kelly said. "It's working together, working across the aisle to get things done like [late Republican Sen.] John McCain did. "

@mystery-ak

"Kkkkkkk-kaint we all juz git a-long?"

Bragging you are like McLunatic is counter-productive unless you are a globalist.

I think Kelly is too dumb to be a globalist.  He's basically AOC in an astronaunt suit.

Kelly had to have gray matter to become an astronaut, but his mental skill set sure isn't in politics.

[sneakypete]

I think Kelly is too dumb to be a globalist.  He's basically AOC in an astronaunt suit.

Kelly had to have gray matter to become an astronaut, but his mental skill set sure isn't in politics.

@catfish1957

Even bright guys can be whores. Look at Bubba,for instance.

Or the people that "handle" the Bidens and the Obombers.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Moderator: "Is Joe Biden the President?"
Masters: "Joe Biden's absolutely the president, I mean my gosh have you seen the gas prices?"— Amalia C. Halikias (@AmaliaHalikias) October 7, 2022

[Right_in_Virginia]

Stephen Miller
@StephenM
·2h

After last night’s complete and total public humiliation of Mark Kelly at the hands of Blake Masters, one thing is inescapably clear: if you care about our border at all the single most important thing you can do is help defeat Open Borders Radical Mark Kelly.

[Cyber Liberty]

Amalia is a good friend of mine.

[DB]

Has early voting started yet?  And was it enough to put him over the top.  Even GOP push polls like Trafalgar had Kelly leading.

To my knowledge no ballots have been mailed yet.