Martha McSally facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Martha McSally
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Official portrait, 2019
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| United States Senator from Arizona |
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| In office January 3, 2019 – December 2, 2020 |
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| Appointed by | Doug Ducey |
| Preceded by | Jon Kyl |
| Succeeded by | Mark Kelly |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's 2nd district |
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| In office January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Ron Barber |
| Succeeded by | Ann Kirkpatrick |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Martha Elizabeth McSally
March 22, 1966 Warwick, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Donald Henry
(m. 1997; annulled 1999) |
| Education | United States Air Force Academy (BS) Harvard University (MPP) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1988–2010 |
| Rank |  Colonel |
| Commands | 354th Fighter Squadron |
| Battles/wars | Operation Southern Watch Operation Allied Force Operation Enduring Freedom |
Martha Elizabeth McSally (born March 22, 1966) is an American politician and a former military pilot. She represented Arizona in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. She was the last Republican to serve Arizona in the U.S. Senate as of 2020.
McSally served in the United States Air Force from 1988 to 2010. She reached the rank of colonel. She was the first U.S. woman to fly in combat missions. She was also the first woman to lead a fighter squadron. In 2001, McSally challenged a military rule. This rule required U.S. servicewomen in Saudi Arabia to wear a full body-covering abaya off base. She won her case, and the rule was changed.
McSally is a member of the Republican Party. She ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012 but did not win. She was elected to the House in 2014. She represented Arizona's 2nd congressional district from 2015 to 2019. In 2018, she ran for the U.S. Senate but lost to Democrat Kyrsten Sinema. Later, Governor Doug Ducey appointed McSally to another Senate seat. This happened after Senator Jon Kyl resigned. In 2020, McSally ran in a special election for the same seat. She was defeated by Democratic candidate Mark Kelly.
McSally supports increasing money for the military. She voted to cancel the Affordable Care Act. She also supported a plan called the American Health Care Act.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Martha McSally was born in 1966 in Warwick, Rhode Island. She was the youngest of five children. When she was 12, her father died suddenly. Her mother worked to support the family.
McSally was the top student at St. Mary Academy – Bay View in 1984. She later earned a place at the United States Air Force Academy. She graduated in 1988 with a degree in Biology. She then earned a master's degree in public policy from Harvard University. After that, she began her pilot training.
Military Career and Service
McSally became a U.S. Air Force pilot in 1991. She completed her training at Williams Air Force Base in Arizona. She then became an instructor pilot in Texas. In 1993, she trained to fly fighter jets.
McSally completed training for the A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft. She was then sent to a squadron that went to Kuwait in 1995. There, she flew combat missions over Iraq. This was part of Operation Southern Watch. She helped enforce the no-fly zone over southern Iraq. She became the first U.S. female fighter pilot to fly in combat. She was also the first woman to lead a fighter squadron.
In 1999, McSally went to Europe for Operation Allied Force. She was chosen for a special program. She worked in Washington, D.C., as a national security advisor. She advised Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona.
McSally took command of the 354th Fighter Squadron in 2004. She was later sent to Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. In 2006, her squadron won an award for outstanding flight contributions.
Challenging a Military Policy
In 2001, McSally took legal action against the United States Department of Defense. She was represented by The Rutherford Institute. Her case, McSally v. Rumsfeld, challenged a military rule. This rule required U.S. and U.K. servicewomen in Saudi Arabia to wear an abaya. An abaya is a body-covering garment. They had to wear it when traveling off base.
At the time, McSally was a major. She was the highest-ranking female fighter pilot. She said the rule made it seem like women were not equal. In a 2002 interview, she explained the unfairness. She said she could fly a jet in enemy territory. But in Saudi Arabia, she could not drive a car. She also had to sit in the back and be escorted by a man.
In 2002, the military changed the rule. U.S. servicewomen no longer had to wear the abaya. They were still encouraged to wear it out of respect. Congress also passed a law against requiring abayas. McSally had worked for years to change this policy.
Retirement from Service
McSally retired from the U.S. Air Force on May 6, 2010. After that, she became a professor. She taught at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Germany.
U.S. House of Representatives Service
2012 Election Campaign
In 2012, McSally announced she would run for Congress. She sought a seat in Arizona's 8th congressional district. This seat became open when Gabby Giffords resigned. McSally did not win the Republican primary election.
She then ran for the Arizona's 2nd congressional district seat. This district had been renumbered. She faced Democrat Ron Barber in the election. Many business groups supported her campaign.
The election was very close. McSally was ahead on election night. But many votes still needed to be counted. Barber eventually took the lead. On November 17, the Associated Press announced Barber had won. McSally accepted the results that morning.
2014 Election Campaign
McSally decided to run for the 2nd district seat again in 2014. She won the Republican primary with almost 70% of the votes. The general election on November 4 was also very close. It was the last federal election of 2014 to be decided.
McSally had a small lead of 161 votes. She declared victory on November 12, 2014. Because the difference was so small, an automatic recount was done. On December 17, the recount confirmed McSally as the winner by 167 votes. She became only the second Republican to represent a southern Arizona district. She was also the first female Republican representative from Arizona.
2016 Election Campaign
McSally ran for reelection in 2016. She had no opponents in the Republican primary. In the general election, she defeated Democrat Matt Heinz. She won with 57% of the votes.
Time in the House
After being elected, McSally hired C.J. Karamargin. He had worked for Democratic Representative Gabby Giffords.
In her first term, McSally had seven bills approved by the U.S. House. She was one of the most successful House members in getting bills passed. Her bills often focused on improving homeland security or helping veterans.
Early in her time in Congress, McSally was seen as a moderate Republican. She was known for raising a lot of money for her campaigns. She also had a reputation as a careful and balanced lawmaker.
U.S. Senate Service
2018 Election Campaign
On January 12, 2018, McSally announced she would run for the U.S. Senate. This seat was being left open by Senator Jeff Flake. McSally made her announcement in Tucson, Phoenix, and Prescott. In an online video, she told Washington, D.C., Republicans to be strong. This announcement showed a shift in her political views.
McSally was expected to be the main Republican candidate. Her opponents included Kelli Ward and Joe Arpaio. McSally raised a lot of money. She was favored by national Republicans and Governor Doug Ducey. Some conservative groups had criticized her for past comments about President Donald Trump. But before her Senate campaign, McSally began to support Trump more. She ran ads that matched his views on immigration.
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In August 2018, McSally and Kelli Ward spoke at a forum. Both said they were not worried about Trump's personal character. McSally said the media and Democrats were too focused on it.
McSally won the Republican primary on August 28. She got 53% of the votes. She then faced Democratic candidate Kyrsten Sinema in the November general election. The election was very close and took several days to decide. McSally was ahead on election night. But Sinema gained as more votes were counted. Both candidates supported counting all ballots.
On November 12, McSally accepted her loss to Sinema. Sinema became Arizona's first female Senator. Sinema won by about 56,000 votes.
2020 Special Election Campaign
Senator John McCain died on August 25, 2018. This led to a special election in November 2020. McSally ran to finish the term she had been appointed to. She defeated Daniel McCarthy in the Republican primary. She then faced former astronaut Mark Kelly. Kelly had no opponents in the Democratic primary. Kelly defeated McSally with 51.2% of the votes. McSally initially did not accept the election results.
Senate Appointment
After Senator John McCain died, Senator Jon Kyl was appointed to his seat. When Kyl resigned, Arizona's other Senate seat became open. On December 18, 2018, Governor Ducey appointed McSally to this seat.
McSally's appointment caused some discussion. McCain's daughter, Meghan, said McSally "didn't earn" the seat. A lawsuit was filed, saying the appointment was against the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit was later dismissed.
McSally and Sinema were sworn in on the same day. They were the first two women to serve as U.S. senators from Arizona. This made Arizona one of six states with two women senators at the same time. McSally was the first senator to serve alongside someone she had just lost an election to.
Time in the Senate
McSally became a U.S. senator on January 3, 2019.
In February 2019, McSally voted for a bill to strengthen security in the Middle East. She also voted for a public land package. On February 14, she voted to confirm William Barr as Attorney General. Later, she voted to confirm Andrew Wheeler as EPA Administrator. In February 2020, she voted to clear President Donald Trump of impeachment charges.
On January 16, 2020, McSally had a strong exchange with a CNN reporter. She called him a "liberal hack" when he asked about Trump's impeachment trial. She later stood by her comments. Her campaign even started selling t-shirts with the quote.
Senate Committee Work
McSally served on several important Senate committees:
- Committee on Armed Services
- Subcommittee on Airland
- Subcommittee on Personnel
- Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support
- Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
- Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development
- Subcommittee on National Security and International Trade and Finance
- Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment
- Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
- Subcommittee on Energy
- Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining
- Subcommittee on Water and Power (Chairwoman)
- Committee on Indian Affairs
- Special Committee on Aging
Political Views and Stances
When she was in the U.S. House, McSally was part of the Tuesday Group. This group included moderate Republicans. She was also a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership.
Groups that rate politicians' views have given McSally different scores. The American Conservative Union gave her a 75% conservative rating. Americans for Prosperity gave her an 87% rating in 2018. The American Civil Liberties Union gave her a 23% rating in 2016.
Budget and Taxes
McSally voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. She said that people would see more money in their paychecks.
Economic Policy
McSally is against the Raise the Wage Act. This act would gradually increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.
In March 2020, McSally supported a bill to cancel the Davis-Bacon Act. This act requires fair wages for workers on public projects.
Education Policy
In 2012, McSally stated she wanted the federal government to be less involved in education.
Energy and Environment
McSally did not state a position on Trump's decision. This decision was to remove the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord. As of 2019, she had a low score from the League of Conservation Voters.
In 2015, McSally supported a bill about the Mexican wolf. This bill would remove the wolf from the endangered species list. It would also stop a program to reintroduce the wolf in Arizona.
McSally supported the Apache Solar Project in 2016. She spoke at its opening in 2017. She called it a great example of communities providing clean energy.
Gun Policy
In 2012, McSally said she was against limits on gun sales. She believed they were unconstitutional.
In 2019, the Arizona Mirror reported that McSally seemed more open to gun control. This was a change from her earlier views.
As of 2019, McSally had received a large amount of money from gun rights groups. She had received the fifth most among federal lawmakers since 1989.
Health Care Views
McSally supports canceling the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). In January 2017, she voted for a budget plan to start this process. When running for Senate in 2018, she said, "we cannot go back to where we were before Obamacare."
McSally supported the March 2017 version of the American Health Care Act of 2017. On May 4, 2017, she voted to cancel the Affordable Care Act. She also voted to pass a new version of the American Health Care Act. Before voting, she did not share her position publicly. The new bill had not been fully reviewed. An earlier version was estimated to leave 24 million Americans without insurance. The revised bill allowed states to let insurers charge more for people with existing health conditions. McSally said the bill was "not perfect" but better than Obamacare.
In October 2019, McSally signed a letter with 26 other senators. They asked for the passage of the CHIME Act. This act provides funding for Community Health Centers. The senators warned that losing this funding would close centers. It would also affect the health care of millions of Americans.
Immigration Stances
McSally once supported immigration reform. But after Trump's election, she took a tougher stance on immigration.
In December 2014, McSally criticized Obama's actions on immigration. These included the DACA program. She said it was wrong for Obama to act without Congress. In January 2015, McSally was one of 26 Republicans who voted against ending DACA. She said it would be unfair to deport immigrants brought as children. In September 2017, she asked for a legal solution for DACA recipients. She said it would be wrong to deport them. In May 2018, she changed her support for a DACA bill. She instead supported a bill that would limit legal immigration. It would also increase border security. This bill would allow DREAMers to stay but not become citizens. In June 2018, CNN reported that her campaign removed a video where she praised DACA.
In January 2017, Trump issued an order. It stopped people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. McSally said the U.S. should check for security gaps. But she also had "concerns about certain individuals being denied entry."
McSally did not blame the Trump administration for the family separation policy. But she said she preferred a different outcome. She criticized Congress for the policy. When the Trump administration changed the policy, McSally said it was "welcome news."
In 2019, McSally voted against a resolution. This resolution would have rejected Trump's use of an emergency declaration. He used it to build a border wall.
Internet and Technology
McSally is against net neutrality. In December 2017, she signed a letter. It asked to cancel the FCC's Open Internet Order.
In March 2017, McSally supported the Broadband Consumer Privacy Proposal. This proposal canceled FCC internet privacy rules. It allowed internet providers to sell customers' browsing history.
Social Security
McSally supports making Social Security a private system. She also supports raising the retirement age. She has said the current system is "unsustainable."
Personal Life
McSally was married to Air Force officer Donald Frederick Henry from 1997 to 1999. Their marriage was later annulled.
McSally is a triathlete. She enjoys sports that combine swimming, biking, and running.
Her rescue dog, Boomer, is a Golden Retriever. Boomer often appears with her at events and in videos.
McSally is Protestant.
See also
In Spanish: Martha McSally para niños
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
- Women in the United States Senate
