2020 United States Senate special election in Arizona facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
2020 United States Senate special election in Arizona

← 2016 November 3, 2020 2022 →

Nominee Mark Kelly Martha McSally Party Democrat Republican Popular vote 1,716,467 1,637,661 Percentage 51.17% 48.82%

County results Kelly:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80% McSally:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%

U.S. Senator before election Martha McSally Republican Elected U.S. Senator Mark Kelly Democrat

A special election happened on November 3, 2020. This election was held to choose a new Senator for the state of Arizona.

This special election was needed because the previous senator, John McCain, passed away in 2018. Before the main election, Primary elections were held on August 4, 2020. These primaries helped each political party choose their best candidate.

The Republican Party chose Martha McSally as their candidate. She won against Daniel McCarthy in her party's primary. For the Democratic Party, only one person, Mark Kelly, ran.

Mark Kelly won the special election. He received about 51.2% of all the votes. This made him the junior senator from Arizona. After this election, both senators from Arizona were from the Democratic Party. Mark Kelly officially became a senator on December 2, 2020, when he was sworn in.

Choosing Candidates: Primary Elections

Before the main election, political parties hold "primary elections." These are like smaller elections where party members vote to pick who will represent their party in the bigger election.

Democratic Party Primary

In the Democratic Party primary, Mark Kelly was the only candidate. This meant he automatically became the Democratic candidate for the special election. He received almost all the votes from his party.

Republican Party Primary

The Republican Party also held a primary election. In this election, Martha McSally was the main candidate. She was already serving as the senator at the time. She won the primary election with about 75% of the votes. She beat another candidate named Daniel McCarthy.

Final Election Result

On November 3, 2020, the people of Arizona voted in the special election. The two main candidates were Mark Kelly (Democrat) and Martha McSally (Republican).

Mark Kelly won the election with 1,716,467 votes. This was about 51.17% of all the votes. Martha McSally received 1,637,661 votes, which was about 48.82%. Mark Kelly's victory meant the Democratic Party gained a Senate seat in Arizona.

Images for kids

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  Results by county in the Republican primary.