Arizona Sen. Martha McSally has grown fearful of a 2020 primary challenge in recent days, kicking off a flurry of efforts to protect her at the highest levels of the Republican Party.
In a series of conversations with senior Republicans including President Donald Trump, the senator has raised alarms about Daniel McCarthy, a skincare company executive who helped bankroll Trump’s 2016 campaign. McSally, who was appointed to her seat in early 2019 after losing a 2018 Senate race, faces a treacherous special election next year in a state that’s growing increasingly friendly to Democrats, and Republicans worry that a primary fight will further complicate her prospects.
Now, they are mobilizing to stop it, and the behind-the-scenes activity spilled out into the open on Tuesday when Trump abruptly tweeted out an endorsement for McSally.
“A brave former fighter jet pilot and warrior, Senator Martha McSally of Arizona has done an outstanding job in D.C., and is fully supportive of our agenda – she is with us all the way,” Trump wrote. “Martha is strong on Crime and Borders, the 2nd Amendment, and loves our Military and Vets. She has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”
McCarthy, a Trump backer who founded the Makeup Eraser beauty care line in 2013, has privately expressed interest to Arizona Republicans about challenging McSally, highlighting the tightrope that she and other swing-state Republicans face as they prepare for the 2020 elections — facing pressure both from a conservative base demanding fealty to the president and a general electorate that’s no longer a sure thing for the GOP.
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11.29.2024