Another Republican candidate is throwing his hat into the political ring as Arizona’s Michael “Mick” McGuire announces his campaign for Senate. The recently retired adjutant general of the Arizona National Guard is seeking to unseat incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly, who Republicans see as a weak contender in next year’s election.
Fox News reports:
Michael “Mick” McGuire, whose numerous appearances on TV during coronavirus briefings amid the pandemic made him a familiar face to Arizona voters, said in a statement that as “a fourth generation Arizonan, a constitutional conservative, and someone who took an oath to protect and defend our nation I am ready to serve again.”
McGuire, a retired Air Force fighter pilot, stepped down in April after eight years of managing the daily operators of the state’s Army and Air National Guard as well as steering Arizona’s Department of Emergency and Military Affairs. He oversaw all of the guard’s COVID-related missions, from helping with vaccine distribution to distributing medical supplies to rural and tribal communities.
“Iserved for nearly 34 years as a commissioned officer and I believe that the country is in need of principled, moral and ethical leadership. I’m looking to bring that as a conservative constitutionalist and I say that the road to 51 leads through Arizona,” McGuire said in an interview Tuesday morning on “Fox & Friends.”
He argued that “this is the first administration that hasn’t committed to doing the things they need to do. One is build the wall, secure the border physically. Two, provide the resources to the agents who need to enforce that, and then three, make sure that we look at laws subsequent to those changes that make us all safer in our communities.”
So far, the only other GOP candidate vying to take down Sen. Kelly is Jim Lamaon, a successful Arizona businessman. The Arizona Senate race could be the key to Republicans taking back the upper chamber which no has a 50-50 split.
Trump who holds considerable sway over the Republican Party has yet to officially endorse any candidate in the Arizona Senate race but both men are likely hoping to get Trump’s golden ticket.
