Nation's Last Midterm Race Decided As McSally Wins CD2 Recount
TUCSON — The Maricopa County Superior Court announced Wednesday that Republican Martha McSally has won in Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District after a mandatory recount.
This was the final unresolved midterm race in the country. After a lengthy trail of legal action and red tape, both candidates said they are ready to move forward.
McSally came out ahead of Democratic incumbent Ron Barber in the recount by 167 votes. Around 220,000 votes were recounted in the district’s Pima and Cochise counties.
McSally said the process from election night through the recount took longer than her team initially expected.
“All the things we’ve been doing to get ready for the transition don’t matter if you don’t prevail. So it was very much a relief to hear the news today that we had won and we increased our margin by six votes,” she said.
The retired Air Force Colonel has already been appointed to the House Armed Services and Homeland Security committees.
McSally said they have a lot to accomplish in the coming days and she has already spoken with Barber about the transition.
“Congressman Barber has several hundred cases of people who came to his office to ask for help with a federal agency, whether it’s a veteran or a senior. And we need to make sure we have a smooth transition of cases that are open,” McSally said.
McSally said she will begin focusing on the economy and security once she takes office. She said these are the most important issues to voters.
Barber said he called McSally immediately after the judge’s announcement to congratulate her. He said the voters have spoken and he will respect their decision, although he remarked too many votes were disqualified.
Barber has no plans to disappear from the public eye.
“This is my community, a place I love, a place we’re deeply rooted in, and I will find ways for me to serve the community again,” Barber said.
Barber said it’s too early to talk about running for office again. He said among his concerns are that McSally will not protect women’s reproductive rights and marriage equality.
“This is a district that typically has, for example, elected members of Congress, as far back as I can tell, who are pro-choice. If we lose that, we’ve lost ground as far as women’s rights are concerned,” he said.
Barber said he is looking forward to reconnecting with his family during the holidays.
