By Yvonne Wingett Sanchez | Arizona Republic
Hoping to bolster the election prospects of Sen. Martha McSally, Vice President Mike Pence landed in Phoenix on Wednesday to attend a high-dollar fundraiser for her and to highlight the administration’s economic policies.
Related: Sen. Martha McSally may get another Republican primary challenger
Democratic presidential hopeful Beto O’Rourke schedules Phoenix event
After losing her 2018 race for the Senate, McSally, R-Ariz., was appointed to the state’s other Senate seat and she faces a treacherous path to hold onto it in 2020. McSally has drawn one primary challenger but is expected to advance to the general election to face Democrat Mark Kelly, a retired astronaut and campaign moneymaker who is considered Democrats’ top recruit this cycle.
Pence brings with him a political brand separate from President Donald Trump’s over-the-top and free-wheeling style — one that may appeal to a broader swath of Republican voters, particularly in the suburbs.
Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., brought up sending Pence over Trump during a media call hosted earlier today.
“I think the most important thing to remember is the reason Pence is here and not Donald Trump. … We’re getting the bat boy instead of the general manager, and that should really tell you something where the Republican Party stands in terms of, Trump opinion among people here in Arizona,” Gallego said on a media conference call. “Donald Trump’s numbers are through the floor right now in Arizona and it would only drag down Martha.”
