Mick McGuire is adding his name to the growing list of Arizona Republicans vying to challenge Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly in the midterm elections.
McGuire, former adjutant general of the Arizona National Guard, was to announce his candidacy on Tuesday. He joins wealthy businessman Jim Lamon in a Republican primary that is expected to expand by at least one in July with the addition of Blake Masters, who works in venture capital with GOP megadonor Peter Thiel. Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich could also run.
McGuire entered the 2022 Senate race with a splashy campaign video in which he attempted to position himself as a political outsider who would prioritize what is best for Arizona, and the country, over partisanship, saying, “I’m tired of weak leaders who have pitted American against American — politicians who sit on the sidelines and fail to act when they know something must be done.”
But in a nod to issues that matter in the Republican primary, McGuire said he will fight for border security. “No border, no security. No security, no country. It’s just that simple,” he said in the video. McGuire also vowed to oppose abortion rights, defend the Second Amendment, and “walk shoulder to shoulder with law enforcement.”
Notably, McGuire made no mention of either Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican reelected in a landslide in 2018, an otherwise banner year for the Democrats, or former President Donald Trump, who is popular with the GOP base in his state. Ducey has not definitively ruled out a Senate bid.
Per the press release issued by the McGuire campaign, the former commanding general of the Arizona National Guard was planning to hit the road to meet with voters in all 15 counties in the state.
