The midterm election would be about a couple of things, President Trump announced three weeks ago: “Kavanaugh, the caravan, law and order, and common sense.” A good line, though some still wonder whether Trump should’ve talked more about the economy than immigration. No one wonders that in Arizona.
Rep. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., and Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., couldn’t be more different. The first is a Republican and the second, a Democrat. One was a fighter pilot before Congress and the other, an anti-war protester. The two women are far apart in just about every policy from healthcare to tax cuts. They are right and left and very, very far away from each other.
Except when it comes to the border. Both have sponsored different bills that would beef up security, and while they differ on whether or not there should be a physical wall, both want troops on the border.
Watching from Washington, it is easy to put national Democrats and Republicans into neat little categories. And some were surprised to see Sinema tell ABC on Monday that she backs Trump’s plan to send between 5,000 and 10,000 to the U.S.-Mexico border:
If you’re wondering how the #Caravan is playing outside the beltway — Democrat @kyrstensinema of Arizona #azsen just told me she supports Trump sending 5000 troops to the border. At Trump’s rally in Tennessee, many said #bordersecurity was their #1 issue pic.twitter.com/Rog49p2XIu
— Tara Palmeri (@tarapalmeri) November 6, 2018
But Sinema and McSally have been on the same page for some time now. As a caravan of migrants was snaking its way north fleeing violence in Central America, the two were saying the same thing: Mobilize the military.
In a statement to The Arizona Republic on Oct. 30, Sinema said troops “should be a part of our work to gain situational control over the border.” She added also that it is possible to “keep America safe while also protecting endangered families and children who come to America seeking safety.”
McSally told The Republic in a statement that the troops’ presence on the border “was needed and continues to be effective. A larger military presence will provide more assistance at the border. If we had a secure border, caravans of people wouldn’t be making their way to us.”
Scan those quotes quickly and it is difficult to tell who is the Republican and who is the Democrat. Outside of Washington, D.C., and especially in a border state like Arizona, immigration is the number one issue. At least in the battle for this Senate seat, Trump was right to define the race so narrowly.
