PHOENIX — In wide-ranging interview for this weekend’s digital-only “Sunday Square Off,” Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kelly discusses:
- Which issues show he’s an “independent leader,” as Kelly describes himself, who would break with fellow Democrats. One possibility: He doesn’t dismiss outright the idea of spending more money on President Donald Trump’s border wall.
- Whether he’s a "yes" or a "no" on two sweeping ballot propositions before Arizona voters: On legalizing recreational marijuana and imposing an income tax surcharge on high wage earners to boost funding for K-12 education. He’s still undecided on one of them.
- Whether he’d work to end surprise medical billing in the air-ambulance industry. Kelly was on the board of directors of an air ambulance company in Scottsdale. He still has stock in the business.
All of that, plus: Which gun-safety legislation Kelly would back; his questions for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, Trump’s nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court; and whether winning a Senate seat is worth it if the filibuster can block legislation he supports.
Polling averages show Kelly, a former Space Shuttle commander who’s making his first run for office, leading Republican Sen. Martha McSally by about 7 points. So far this year, 32 of 33 polls racked by Real Clear Politics have shown Kelly in the lead.
The winner of the special election to fill the remainder of the late Sen. John McCain’s unexpired term would have to run again in 2022 for a full six-year term in the Senate.
Voting in Arizona started Wednesday.
In Maricopa County, a swing county that accounts for three in every five votes in the state, an estimated 75 to 80% of voters are expected to cast early ballots.
"Sunday Square Off" airs at 8 a.m. Sundays on 12 News, after NBC's "Meet the Press" with Chuck Todd.
