ByAlison Steinbach and Ronald J. Hansen || Arizona Republic
Sen. Mark Kelly was projected to defeat Republican Blake Masters in Arizona’s race for the U.S. Senate, per race calls made Friday by news organizations.
The Kelly vs. Masters match-up was one of the most closely watched and highly contested Senate races in the nation and, with Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s win in Nevada, helped Democrats keep control of the 100-member chamber.
The Associated Press and other major news outlets called the race after Maricopa County posted a drop of unofficial numbers Friday evening that widened Kelly’s lead over Masters to a gap of 5.7 percentage points. Ballots are still being counted.
A close race was expected, with some polls and analysts labeling it a toss-up in the weeks leading up to Election Day.
Here are five reasons that contributed to Kelly’s big win over Masters.
