Mark Kelly: Best Recruit of the Entire Cycle?

[We Live in Black and White]

So...yeah, I realize that maybe this doesn't need to be its own thread, but I wasn't sure where else to express this particular opinion: I truly think Mark Kelly is the best candidate we've recruited in 2020 for...maybe literally any race, and I'm including the presidency in that. In spite of our recruiting whiffs in GA-SEN II and arguably North Carolina, we've absolutely had some stellar gets for the Senate this cycle - Warnock, Gideon, and sadly Hickenlooper come to mind - but the fact that Kelly is the only one so far who has managed to all but lock out a GOP incumbent in a center-right state just boggles my mind.

Schumer's DSCC is kind of a joke overall in my books, but this one was a recruiting landslide.

[jamestroll]

Exactly.. and Kelly is stong on his own and doesnt need to depend on Democratic Presidential candidate to win. Bernie could lose AZ 55 to 44 and Kelly could still barely win.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Yes, Trump needs AZ in order to win and Kelly has cracked the 260 red wall, as a result, the AZ 10 EC equals WI 10 EC which secures the 270 votes needed to win the Prez. Notwithstanding,  that McSally, Tillis, Gardner and Collins voted to acquit Trump

[MT Treasurer]

Kelly is definitely a strong recruit (and lol at the idea that Sinema was the only Democrat who could win statewide), but I feel like most of it is simply a combination of the state rapidly trending away from Republicans and McSally being an incredibly weak incumbent herself. Even a "weaker Democrat" would have beaten her.

[Joseph Cao]

Even a "weaker Democrat" would have beaten her.

Eh, that depends. Arizona still leans Republican. A progressive like Ruben Gallego would’ve been too easily portrayed as a Berniecrat and socialist. A former Republican like Grant Woods would suffer from depressed base turnout. Both are indubitably weaker candidates than Kelly but might not have had as good odds of beating her, even considering how weak of an incumbent she is.

[Frenchrepublican]

He is clearly better than the D recruits in NC/GA/IA/TX, so yeah he is the best D recruit of the entire cycle

[coloradocowboi]

Even a "weaker Democrat" would have beaten her.

Eh, that depends. Arizona still leans Republican. A progressive like Ruben Gallego would’ve been too easily portrayed as a Berniecrat and socialist. A former Republican like Grant Woods would suffer from depressed base turnout. Both are indubitably weaker candidates than Kelly but might not have had as good odds of beating her, even considering how weak of an incumbent she is.

Yep.

Also, since Bernie is probably going to be the nominee, Kelly will help Democrats keep suburban white folks from getting to spooked while he drums up Latino support. It's shaping up to be Arizona's year to do a Colorado imo.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Even a "weaker Democrat" would have beaten her.

Eh, that depends. Arizona still leans Republican. A progressive like Ruben Gallego would’ve been too easily portrayed as a Berniecrat and socialist. A former Republican like Grant Woods would suffer from depressed base turnout. Both are indubitably weaker candidates than Kelly but might not have had as good odds of beating her, even considering how weak of an incumbent she is.

Yep.

Also, since Bernie is probably going to be the nominee, Kelly will help Democrats keep suburban white folks from getting to spooked while he drums up Latino support. It's shaping up to be Arizona's year to do a Colorado imo.

Wow that would resemble Colorado then . In 2004 Bush won CO but Republicans lost the senate seat there

[HarrisonL]

Best Democratic Recruit: Mark Kelly (amazing fundraising, even better than McSally)
Best Republican Recruit: John James or Jeff Sessions

*assuming we are talking solely about Senate*

[Tekken_Guy]

Best Democratic Recruit: Mark Kelly (amazing fundraising, even better than McSally)
Best Republican Recruit: John James or Jeff Sessions

*assuming we are talking solely about Senate*

Sessions? They guy who’s struggling to even win a primary?

[HarrisonL]

Best Democratic Recruit: Mark Kelly (amazing fundraising, even better than McSally)
Best Republican Recruit: John James or Jeff Sessions

*assuming we are talking solely about Senate*

Sessions? They guy who’s struggling to even win a primary?

I wouldn't say he's struggling to win the primary. He will make the runoff with ease. The real challenge for him is a runoff against Tuberville. My point is, Sessions would defeat Jones by a greater margin than any of the other candidates running in the race.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

We know, AZ is the 260 red wall that Trump cant lose like WI is the 278 blue wall, Kelly cracked the red wall. It wont matter about AL, due to 12 vulnerable Rs to 1 vulnerable D

[nclib]

I'm surprised he doesn't mention much that he is married to Gabby Giffords.

[Gracile]

I'm surprised he doesn't mention much that he is married to Gabby Giffords.

It’s already pretty well known, especially since they run a pro-gun control PAC together.

[We Live in Black and White]

Tonight has officially convinced me that the tag team of Bernie Sanders and Mark Kelly might be what we need to flip Arizona on its head this year.

[Epaminondas]

While your statement may hold some truth, it mostly underscores the disappointment in Montana.
(When is the deadline for the MT Senate?)

On another matter: Will Kelly ask Bernie to campaign with him for maximum turnout, or keep him at arm's length and hope to attract never Trumpers?

[We Live in Black and White]

While your statement may hold some truth, it mostly underscores the disappointment in Montana.
(When is the deadline for the MT Senate?)

On another matter: Will Kelly ask Bernie to campaign with him for maximum turnout, or keep him at arm's length and hope to attract never Trumpers?

Given Kelly isn't even running that moderate of a campaign, I think he'll go for campaigning with Bernie to slam home the Hispanic vote. With the establishment coming around and starting to defend him and give him good press, I don't think Bernie will be that much of a drag on the suburban vote.

[Co-Chair Bagel23]

Aye.

[Mr. Smith]

Until a few primaries work themselves out, I'm withholding judgment. Especially since Kelly has the least uphill battle [only Montana and Alaska with their wildcard natures could be less so] of the cycle.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Since McCain died, AZ is gonna be blue state when D win Gov in 2022

[Obama-Biden Democrat]

Having a Kelly-Bernie combo is a good idea in AZ. Bernie can appeal to Hispanics and the working class, while Kelly can appeal to the woke suburban soccer moms.

[We Live in Black and White]

Having a Kelly-Bernie combo is a good idea in AZ. Bernie can appeal to Hispanics and the working class, while Kelly can appeal to the woke suburban soccer moms.

Absolutely my logic. It's about the most perfect tag team we could hope for in AZ both electorally and in terms of downballot shockwaves, specifically holding down AZ-01 and maybe even flipping AZ-06.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Mitch McConnell was always vulnerable should a wave develop and he will lose in a nightmare GOP scenario.  If Bernie continues to surge and the surge last, McConnell will lose