2018 United States Senate election in Arizona facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
2018 United States Senate election in Arizona

← 2012 November 6, 2018 2024 →
Turnout	64.85%
Nominee Kyrsten Sinema Martha McSally Party Democrat Republican Popular vote 1,191,100 1,135,200 Percentage 50.0% 47.6%
County results Sinema:      50–60%      60–70% McSally:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
U.S. Senator before election Jeff Flake Republican Elected U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema Democrat

The 2018 United States Senate election in Arizona was an important vote held on November 6, 2018. People in Arizona chose who would represent them in the United States Senate.

The main candidates were Martha McSally from the Republican Party and Kyrsten Sinema from the Democratic Party. After all the votes were counted, Kyrsten Sinema won the election. She became Arizona's new U.S. Senator.

Primary Elections: Choosing Candidates

Before the main election, each political party holds a "primary election." This is where voters choose which person from their party will run in the big election. Think of it like a tryout!

Republican Primary

Who Ran for the Republicans?

Several people wanted to be the Republican candidate for the Senate. The main ones were:

• Joe Arpaio, who was a sheriff in Maricopa County, Arizona.
• Martha McSally, a former combat veteran and a U.S. Representative.
• Kelli Ward, who used to be an Arizona Senator.

Republican Primary Results

In the Republican primary, Martha McSally won. She received more than half of all the votes. This meant she would represent the Republican Party in the general election.

Democratic Primary

Who Ran for the Democrats?

For the Democratic Party, two main candidates wanted to run for the Senate:

• Deedra Abboud, who is an attorney.
• Kyrsten Sinema, who was also a U.S. Representative.

Democratic Primary Results

Kyrsten Sinema won the Democratic primary by a large amount. She received nearly 80% of the votes. This made her the Democratic candidate for the general election.

Other Parties' Candidates

Some smaller parties also had candidates:

• The Libertarian Party had Adam Kokesh, a combat veteran and activist.
• The Green Party had Angela Green.

General Election: The Big Vote

On November 6, 2018, people across Arizona voted for their next U.S. Senator. The main race was between Kyrsten Sinema (Democrat) and Martha McSally (Republican).

Results by Arizona's counties. The map shows which candidate won in each county.

General Election Results

After all the votes were counted, Kyrsten Sinema was declared the winner. She received more votes than Martha McSally. Angela Green from the Green Party also received some votes.

Images for kids

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  U.S. Representative Martha McSally at the start of her Senate campaign in January 2018.

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  Former State Senator Kelli Ward at a campaign event before the Republican primary in August 2018.

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  U.S. Representative Kyrsten Sinema at a campaign event in October 2018.

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  Attorney Deedra Abboud at a campaign event in April 2017.

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  Sinema and McSally during a Senate debate in 2018.