Martha McSally Concedes to Kyrsten Sinema in US Senate Race

GOP Rep. Martha McSally has conceded Arizona’s Senate race to Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat, making the announcement on Twitter.

“I just called Kyrsten Sinema and congratulated her on becoming Arizona’s first female senator after a hard-fought battle,” she said in a video on Nov. 12. “I wish her all success as she represents Arizona in the Senate.”

Rep. Martha McSally, (R-Ariz.) at a debate in Phoenix, Arizona, on Oct. 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Sinema is the state’s first Democrat elected to the Senate in 30 years since former Sen. Dennis DeConcini retired in 1995.

Sinema had 1,097,321 votes, or 49.68 percent, and McSally had 1,059,124 votes, or 47.96 percent, NBC News reported Monday.

Over the weekend, Sinema’s lead expanded by more than 32,000 votes after mail-in ballots were counted.

Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, (D-Ariz.), goes over the rules in a television studio prior to a televised debate with Rep. Martha McSally, (R-Ariz.), in Phoenix, Arizona, on Oct. 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Matt York)

In a statement on Facebook on Monday, Sinema said she will work in government to “find common ground.”

“That’s the same approach I’ll take to representing our great state in the Senate, where I’ll be an independent voice for all Arizonans,” she wrote. “I am so honored that Arizonans chose our vision of a better Arizona. And now it’s time to get to work,” Sinema said in her victory speech on Monday night, CBS reported.

Sinema succeeds Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, who declined to seek re-election in the state. The state’s other senator is Jon Kyl, a Republican who succeeded the late Sen. John McCain.

Brenda Snipes, Broward County Supervisor of Elections, during a canvassing board meeting in Lauderhill, Fla., on Nov. 10, 2018. (Joe Skipper/Getty Images)

Florida Recount

In Florida, Palm Beach County officials said they won’t finish its recount by the Thursday deadline. And in Broward County, additional sheriff’s deputies were sent to guard ballots and voting machines, according to The Associated Press.

“An honest vote count is no longer possible” in Florida, Trump said Monday, adding that election night results should be used to determine the winner of the race.

Trump also said that “new ballots showed up out of nowhere, and many ballots are missing or forged” and that “ballots (are) massively infected.”

Broward Chief Circuit Judge Jack Tuter on Monday held an emergency hearing on a request by Gov. Rick  Scott’s lawyers, who said deputies should be in charge of ballots and voting machines. Tuter responded by saying, “I am urging because of the highly public nature of this case to ramp down the rhetoric.”

“If someone in this lawsuit or someone in this county has evidence of voter fraud or irregularities at the supervisor’s office, they should report it to their local law enforcement officer,” Tuter said. “If the lawyers are aware of it, they should swear out an affidavit, but everything the lawyers are saying out there in front of the elections office is being beamed all over the country. We need to be careful of what we say. Words mean things these days.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.