Opinion | Kelly or Masters, Lake or Hobbs: 12 Arizona Voters Discuss

John,


73, independent, white, business

Civil war.

Hod,


53, independent, white, I.T. recruiter

Freedom.

Patsy,


61, Republican, white, teacher

Food.

Jennifer,


53, Democrat, white, manager

Peace.

Steve,


50, independent, white, sales

War.

Marie,


65, Republican, white, costume design

Biden. It encompasses it all.

Ciera,


34, Democrat, Black, credit union specialist

Decline.

Susan,


62, independent, white, internet analyst

Democracy.

Allen,


61, Republican, white, driver

Liberals.

Paul,


44, Republican, white, category analyst

Freedom of speech.

Adam,


43, independent, Latino, business analyst

Disjointed.

Hod,


53, independent, white, I.T. recruiter

I just think people have a very distorted view of what freedom actually means. And that’s on both ends of the political spectrum. People want to impose their will on others in the name of freedom, and that, to me, is a big hypocrisy. And if anything’s going to lead to civil war, that’d be the pinpoint right there.

Paul,


44, Republican, white, category analyst

People aren’t allowed to speak out anymore. There’s just too much censorship.

Paul,


44, Republican, white, category analyst

The former president is a good example. I mean, he was banned from Twitter. And during the pandemic, if you disagreed with the so-called experts, you were censored from social media. And people in universities, they can’t speak up because they’ll get canceled.

John,


73, independent, white, business

Well, I’m concerned about after the midterms. Prior to the 2020 election, we already had a demonstration of what the liberal leftists are capable of. I’m very fearful that after the House and the Senate are taken, we are going to have violence in the cities like we’ve never seen before. That is civil war. That is the start of it all.

Paul,


44, Republican, white, category analyst

We’re not as divided as many think. If you go to a restaurant or a sporting event, most people are very polite. They agree on a lot of the same principles that we live by. The media and social media sort of fan the flames on division, but that’s how the business runs, unfortunately.

Steve,


50, independent, white, sales

Obviously, there’s division in this country, and it’s probably as bad as I’ve seen it over the last, maybe, 10 years. But I think, like Paul said, there’s still a lot of level-minded people out there who are willing to work together and reach across.

Marie,


65, Republican, white, costume design

We’re as close to a collapse, the entire planet, as at any other time in history. And I have to say, this is not a democracy. Our country is a constitutional republic.

Ciera,


34, Democrat, Black, credit union specialist

We can’t focus on the things that we really should be focusing on when it comes to our government, like the environment and how to combat global warming.

Susan,


62, independent, white, internet analyst

Nothing’s going to matter if we lose the foundation of our democracy. Whether we’re a constitutional republic or a democracy, that’s semantics. We follow democratic principles. A good portion of the populace wants to ignore free and fair elections. They don’t see the value in that. But unless we protect free and fair elections and continue to have a peaceful transfer of power every time, then we’ve lost everything. That’s what makes us who we are.

Patsy,


61, Republican, white, teacher

I’m undecided right now. I find that he’s come up with solutions a little bit too late. It just seems a little suspicious, right before the midterms, that Mark Kelly is now addressing a lot of the important issues in our state.

Adam,


43, independent, Latino, business analyst

I like the fact that he stands with science. I think that he seems like the best option that we have right now.

Allen,


61, Republican, white, driver

Well, Mark Kelly voted most of the time with the president on his policies. But now he’s kind of changed his tune, and he’s complaining that he kind of disagrees with the policies at the border. He should have done something a long time ago — all this fentanyl coming across.

Jennifer,


53, Democrat, white, manager

He would probably speak to me about things I’m interested in. We could have differences and not have it divide us.

Hod,


53, independent, white, I.T. recruiter

I would ask him how come he’s not more vocal against Kyrsten Sinema, who has really derailed so many good programs that this country could really enjoy. I think Mark Kelly is lucky, because the bar is so low because of Kyrsten Sinema.

Alex,


27, Democrat, white, account manager

Seeing the ads on him and the YouTube videos on him, he kind of shot himself in the foot right off the bat with some of his speeches. I think one of them was about abortion — he did a speech just kind of going off.

Marie,


65, Republican, white, costume design

I don’t think this is just Republican versus Democrat; it’s slavery versus liberty and good versus evil. Our freedoms are being taken away by Democrats on a daily basis. There is no Constitution right now. Talk show host Alex Jones spoke his truth in regards to Sandy Hook. And he’s taken before the court and fined for his own ideals. And that’s a violation of the First Amendment.

Ciera,


34, Democrat, Black, credit union specialist

Blakes Masters is a moron. He doesn’t deserve two words from me. Just the fact that you’re blatantly coming out and saying no to abortion, and then you’re saying that we need to get rid of Social Security, when people have worked hard to earn that at the age that they come upon to get it. He’s an idiot.

Paul,


44, Republican, white, category analyst

So if I saw Mark Kelly at a cookout, I would ask him if his life was better two years ago than it is now. He probably wouldn’t know because he’s in D.C. all the time. But most of us probably don’t like going to the grocery store and spending double or triple. He has a record that we have the right to judge. Blake Masters, he doesn’t have a record. And he is a very intelligent person I would love to learn more about. But I just don’t hear much about him because he doesn’t have the funding that a Mark Kelly does.

Patsy,


61, Republican, white, teacher

The feeling that I get from Blake Masters is not a good one. And then, with Ciera, I agree. I don’t agree with abortion, but I do not believe anyone has the right to tell any woman what to do with her body. I wouldn’t put that on the top of my voting list, but it’s a major issue. We’ve gone backwards, not forwards. And I’m more conservative now than I used to be. It’s bad.

Steve,


50, independent, white, sales

I’m a moderate, a registered independent. I’ve leaned towards Kelly for the most part, but his voting record is pretty much Democratic down the board, which I don’t agree with. He’s definitely more likable than Masters. Masters just comes off — just something about him that doesn’t feel right. I don’t think Trump supporting him is an important thing.

Susan,


62, independent, white, internet analyst

Our whole campaign finance system needs to be reworked. There’s way too much money in the campaign system. When we start electing people because of how much money they have, I think we’ve lost our way.

Hod,


53, independent, white, I.T. recruiter

Absolutely right. Both parties are really guilty of this. Ninety percent of those people couldn’t care less about what the popular issues are in this country. They’re just worried about, “Hey, did the check from this lobbyist or that lobbyist clear? Check cleared? Great. I’m going to vote whatever I’m going to vote.”

John,


73, independent, white, business

If you want to talk money, let’s talk about both sides. Don’t just talk about Masters; talk about Kelly. And how much was spent on Kelly.

Adam,


43, independent, Latino, business analyst

My wife has a really great thing that she tells me: “When somebody shows you who they are, you immediately believe it.” I actually did take the time to read the old things that Masters posted. Granted, he was younger, and we all said stupid things, but when somebody shows you who they are, you kind of have to believe it. No way I could vote for that dude.

Paul,


44, Republican, white, category analyst

I don’t vote on emotion. I vote on facts.

Paul,


44, Republican, white, category analyst

If my life was better two years ago, which it was. Then that means I have to find an alternative. Most of the problems we have in society are caused by the people that are so-called our leaders. And they’re not doing the job. So we have to get people in that actually represent us.

Susan,


62, independent, white, internet analyst

I was a card-carrying Republican for years. I was born and raised in Texas. I love my guns. I love my Texas freedom. And I just can’t support what’s happening to women’s rights. Everybody says, “We’re losing our rights under Democrats,” and I feel the exact opposite, that the Republican Party as a whole has shown me that it doesn’t care about my rights as a female. So I’ve switched. The people in the Republican Party, the current leaders, have shown me who they are.

Susan,


62, independent, white, internet analyst

It’s been a couple of years, but after Roe has really moved the needle for me.

Adam,


43, independent, Latino, business analyst

I really like what Susan was saying. Don’t get me wrong, there are still good Republicans. Adam Kinzinger would be a solid candidate, overall, for a majority of the roles. I think that there are a lot of good people still trying to do good things, but, man, the Republican Party, there is just so much wrong there. And it’s gone so south so quickly. Everything they claim to have stood for — it’s just it’s not there. When you see how they respond to school shootings and when you see how they respond to people being bused, it’s crazy. And you can’t sit there and say you stand by these values but then show me something entirely different.

Ciera,


34, Democrat, Black, credit union specialist

I mean, the Senate pretty much makes the rules. So if the people in the Senate aren’t on the same page as how I am on big topics for me — i.e., being abortion and women’s rights — I don’t want them in office.

Ciera,


34, Democrat, Black, credit union specialist

Mark Kelly — his issues on border control, they’re not my main topic of focus for him, as far as me wanting to vote for him. My main topic is women’s rights and abortion rights.

Patsy,


61, Republican, white, teacher

With respect to Ciera, because she’s a young woman, I understand absolutely 100 percent where she’s coming from, because it was something I was very, very passionate about. Still am. And don’t hate me, but I feel that I have to vote to get the Senate seat. And that is horrible. And I don’t think I’ve ever done that before. It’s a really difficult decision. It’s like there’s an angel and a devil on your shoulder. Because I don’t like Blake Masters at all. So —

Patsy,


61, Republican, white, teacher

I just think this election is probably just so important after what’s happened in the last two years. Down where I live, the major issues are the border and the economy. I feel we just have to swing that pendulum the other way. Because it’s really bad right now for folks down here. Really bad.

Jennifer,


53, Democrat, white, manager

I would rather Democrats and Republicans work together than try to control one another.

John,


73, independent, white, business

I think control of the Senate is important because we have to turn this country around. And prevent it from destroying itself, which is the direction that it’s heading right now.

Paul,


44, Republican, white, category analyst

We need checks and balances, clearly. The way things have gone for the past two years since Biden took the office — there hasn’t been a check or balance against any of his policies. And in my opinion, they’re not working. I think immigration is a big example for me. Biden is purposely keeping the border wide open, and that’s causing a ton of problems for us.

Susan,


62, independent, white, internet analyst

You don’t want to know.

Susan,


62, independent, white, internet analyst

She’s a blowhard.

Susan,


62, independent, white, internet analyst

She wants the attention. She wants to be the focus of everyone in the room. She really doesn’t have any of her own views or positions. All she cares about is getting elected, and the way she’s done that is to align herself with the Trump part of the Republican Party. And I don’t trust anything she says.

Allen,


61, Republican, white, driver

Well, Kari, she was a TV personality. I didn’t know much about her. But I normally just vote with the party.

Adam,


43, independent, Latino, business analyst

She’s playing to her base. So it’s completely disingenuous. I mean, there was an article where she was — I can’t remember what it was, what the sole purpose of the article was, but apparently, she had drag queens over to her house for a party. And then she’s going out and bashing the L.G.B.T.Q. community. It’s just reactionary, and it’s disingenuous. Kari Lake comes off as, like, the crazy aunt, and I’m just not interested.

Steve,


50, independent, white, sales

I don’t know. I kind of like her. The inexperience is kind of a question, but it’s also kind of something I kind of like. Let’s get a fresh set of thoughts on certain things. And everybody, as far as pandering to a base, they all do. You know, whether it’s Democrat or Republican, they all make promises and usually don’t deliver, right? Hobbs, she’s been a politician now for what seems like most of her adult life, and I’m not a big fan of career politicians in general. So that’s kind of why I’m leaning towards Lake.

Hod,


53, independent, white, I.T. recruiter

Another lesser of two evils. But you know what? The fact that she was the secretary of state and took so much abuse — I mean, thankfully it was just verbally and not physically, all the talk about “The elections are rigged” and this and that — she stood firm with her principles and doesn’t play games like Kari Lake.

Marie,


65, Republican, white, costume design

Kari Lake isn’t anti drag queen; she’s anti drag queens in schools, drag queens in libraries.

Patsy,


61, Republican, white, teacher

Kari Lake spent her life as a news anchor, so she’s very outspoken. When I hear words like “blowhard” and “aggressive,” it just seems like a lot of female candidates, when they’re aggressive — when they’re outspoken and they have firm opinions and they’re not afraid to say their opinions, they’re labeled. Katie Hobbs, she’s like a wet noodle. She just — yeah, there’s no question for me.

Patsy,


61, Republican, white, teacher

Yeah, just his — I don’t know, his vibe, I guess, that’s why.

Patsy,


61, Republican, white, teacher

It’s just a feeling. A lot of it’s a gut feeling.

Steve,


50, independent, white, sales

It’s similar. It’s kind of a gut feeling. The things Masters has said in the past — he’s over there on the fringe. And Hobbs is a career politician. And on the state level, the federal level, there’s obviously different importance. The federal level is, “How much are we going to continue to put into the war machine, and how many billions of dollars are we going to continue to vote for overseas?” And now that’s where I might start to feel differently with Mark Kelly. The Republican Party wasn’t the same. Neither is the Democratic Party. It’s not the same party as it was. It’s not the working man’s party. It’s not the party of peace and love, that’s for damn sure, anymore. But with Lake, I just want a fresh face, something new. Now, maybe Lake’s full of it, too. But we can find out. I’m willing to give her a chance first.

Hod,


53, independent, white, I.T. recruiter

Look, I’ll keep it real simple. If I called anybody here a criminal, no matter what the crime is, you’d be very mad if you didn’t commit the crime. You’d be even more mad if I took you to court not one, not 10, not 20 times but more than 50 times. And each and every court case still proved you innocent. And I still kept on. Two years later, I’m still calling you a criminal. I don’t know how that’s acceptable in a country like the United States. It’s like, “OK, my side won. The elections were fair.” “My side didn’t win. Oh, the elections were not fair.” I mean, are we the United States of America or a banana republic?

Jennifer,


53, Democrat, white, manager

I agree with Hod. We proved you wrong so many times in court. There’s no need to keep going back to saying, “Things were rigged. People cheated. We won. Conspiracy theories everywhere.”

John,


73, independent, white, business

Well, I don’t know what to believe anymore. So I don’t know whether he won or he lost.

Patsy,


61, Republican, white, teacher

I think, when we look at democracy, when we’re talking about democracy, we have to look at how our voting system is — how our voting system is not functioning. You’re looking for proof? Look at “2000 Mules,” where they have hard evidence. But I don’t keep looking back. That’s in the past. We can only move forward to make the choices we feel we need to make.

Marie,


65, Republican, white, costume design

Well, I was just going to bring up the “Mules” documentary. There is more than enough proof. Everybody is going to see soon.

Paul,


44, Republican, white, category analyst

My gut instinct is, there’s going to be such a big red wave. I think the Democrats and the media will probably flip the narrative and say the elections aren’t safe or there’s no integrity.

Adam,


43, independent, Latino, business analyst

No, I don’t. Here’s the thing. And it happened during the Republican primaries when they interviewed Kari Lake on camera. And she was losing at that point. And she immediately said it’s fixed and everybody’s against her. And then she won, and then it was a fair election. It’s just one of those things where the popular move now, from here to Brazil, is to say, if you don’t win, that it’s fixed against you and rigged. Whether it ends up in favor of Hobbs or Lake, at the end of the day, it’s a fair election. It’s clean. Just roll with it.

Steve,


50, independent, white, sales

I think it’ll run pretty clean. I mean, one side is going to cry foul, either way. That’s just the nature of the beast. I think we run into that more during presidential elections.

Ciera,


34, Democrat, Black, credit union specialist

I don’t really know too much about her in general.

Alex,


27, Democrat, white, account manager

I just know there’s a lot of controversy around her name.

Susan,


62, independent, white, internet analyst

I feel like she and Joe Manchin have tried to control the narrative by saying, “We’re trying to be bipartisan.” And I think it’s almost been more of a power play.

Allen,


61, Republican, white, driver

I just think she’s more of an independent than a Democrat. She votes in the middle.

Adam,


43, independent, Latino, business analyst

I would like for Sinema to tell me exactly how many times she’s voted based on a lobbyist.

Adam,


43, independent, Latino, business analyst

I think it would be a very, very, very disconcerting answer. I feel like she had good intentions going in, but a lot of things have changed, and I don’t necessarily trust — my entire life has been shaped by strong women, and I don’t feel like she’s voting in favor of women. That is a big, big issue for me, especially being a father of a daughter who’s growing up in this world.

John,


73, independent, white, business

As far as Kyrsten goes, prior to the 2020 election, I wrote her several letters. And I told her, I said, “Look, you need to change parties. You need to become a Republican. Because you’re on a sinking ship.” She’s just lucky because she’s got a few more years left in her office before she’s up for election again.

Alex,


27, Democrat, white, account manager

Sad.

Jennifer,


53, Democrat, white, manager

Defeated.

Allen,


61, Republican, white, driver

There goes my retirement savings down the drain.

Ciera,


34, Democrat, Black, credit union specialist

I don’t see it being too much different, honestly. I still feel like it’s going to be split, like how we are now. Not on everything but a majority of the things we talked about.

Steve,


50, independent, white, sales

I’m an independent minded guy. I don’t think it’s going to make a huge deal either way. I mean, you should vote. You should express your feeling. But in the long run, these guys are all working for the same team, one way or the other.

Patsy,


61, Republican, white, teacher

Can it get much worse? [Laughs.]

Paul,


44, Republican, white, category analyst

Well, I feel like he won 2020. And we have to earn $11,000 more this year to live like we did two years ago. It’s not about personality. It’s not about emotion. This is about facts. I want someone who can run the country.

Allen,


61, Republican, white, driver

Well, because there are other candidates. DeSantis. Trump is getting up in age, and I think we need someone younger.

Patsy,


61, Republican, white, teacher

Our economy was great two years ago. But I hope he doesn’t run.

Patsy,


61, Republican, white, teacher

Because I don’t think our country can take another four years of that.

Ciera,


34, Democrat, Black, credit union specialist

I mean, a lot of people have already touched on it. The economy. It’s terrible right now.

Adam,


43, independent, Latino, business analyst

I think that, No. 1, there should be age limits. It’s the same reason for Trump, too. I do believe in the wisdom of age. I think it’s a huge, huge factor when you’re leading a country. But they’re both super out of touch. Biden made a comment about a representative who had died in a car accident and asked her to show herself, and that bothered me.

Ciera,


34, Democrat, Black, credit union specialist

I wouldn’t mind Bernie. I liked his whole concept on total student loan forgiveness and his idea of making at least community college free for everyone that’s a citizen.

Susan,


62, independent, white, internet analyst

I agree with what everybody said about the age limits. I might be interested in seeing Elizabeth Warren run. She has a handle on the financials of this world. I like Amy Klobuchar. I think there are probably some other Democrats that are not as well known that will maybe surface in the next couple of years that might be good choices. But I have no interest in seeing Biden run again. But I do want to say that I don’t hold the economy or inflation against Biden. Because this is a global economic crisis. We have global inflation. We have Putin’s war in Russia. We still have supply chain issues. You really can’t blame one person for the economy.