Bush, Romney will head to Arizona to campaign for McSally

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McSally: Democrats are playing politics with border security

Arizona congresswoman says border security is a public safety and national security issue.

Former President George W. Bush and 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney are set to campaign for Arizona Senate candidate Martha McSally ahead of a contentious midterm election.

McSally, a Republican congresswoman who has represented the 2nd district since 2015, is facing Rep. Kyrsten Sinema in a tight battle to replace outgoing Sen. Jeff Flake.

Bush is expected to host a private fundraiser for McSally on Oct. 19, The Arizona Republic reported. The breakfast reportedly costs $2,700 per person, and photos with the former president will set a person back $5,000.

On Friday, Romney will appear at an event with McSally in the East Valley, an area with a substantial Mormon population, according to the newspaper. Romney, who is Mormon, is also running for Senate in Utah.

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Calling her a “highly respected member of Congress,” President Trump has praised McSally for being “strong” when it comes to her positions on crime, border security, gun rights and military issues.

“Martha McSally is an extraordinary woman,” Trump has said. “Has my total and complete endorsement!”

The battle between McSally and Sinema is primarily looked to as one that could determine which party has control of the Senate. Ahead of the midterm elections, Republicans are holding onto a narrow two-seat majority.

Fox News has ranked the Senate race a tossup. Sinema leads McSally by three percentage points, according to a Fox News poll.

McSally, a former air force colonel who was the first female combat pilot, has been seen as more of a moderate in her district. She’s harped on immigration and border security throughout the election. During a Fox News town hall last month, she said border security “should be a unifying issue.”

McSally has also discussed being sexually abused while in high school and criticized the president after he mocked the woman who accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her decades ago.

Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema is running against Republican Rep. Martha McSally for the open Arizona Senate seat Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., is vacating. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Sinema, on the other hand, has seemingly moved more rightward when it comes to immigration. As a state legislator, she opposed a raft of hardline GOP immigration measures, but she was one of the only House Democrats to support increasing legal penalties for people deported multiple times.

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However, Sinema has said she opposes Trump’s border wall.

Instead, she proposed: “We should have money for drones, night-vision cameras, towers and more boots on the ground so we can interdict the bad guys smuggling in guns and people and engaging in really dangerous trafficking.”

The Democrat has garnered the support of former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

Sinema has represented the Maricopa County in the U.S. House since 2013; McSally has represented the Tucson area.

On Monday, former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao appeared at an event with McSally.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.