By Yvonne Wingett Sanchez | Arizona Republic
Both major candidates in Arizona’s closely watched Senate race do not support the call to overhaul policing by defunding police departments, even as Republican Sen. Martha McSally is using the call to try to tie her Democratic opponent, Mark Kelly, to the “extreme” liberal wing of the Democratic Party.
George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police and the protests around the nation to condemn police actions have renewed a national conversation about the role of police and have prompted some activists to demand local leaders instead invest policing dollars into other community programs.
McSally introduced a resolution this week with Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., that opposes defunding the police and calls for justice for Floyd’s death.
Her campaign in recent days accused the Democratic Party of mainstreaming the “dangerous idea” while attacking Kelly. The email to supporters accused Kelly of supporting “whatever (Democratic presidential candidate) Joe Biden and his socialist advisors cook up.”
