West Orange man has lead in Arizona U.S. Senate race

West Orange native Mark Kelly has an 8-point lead in his bid for re-election a U.S. Senator from Arizona.

Kelly, a retired astronaut and the husband of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, leads Republican Blake Masters, 50%-42%, according to a new Fox News poll of Arizona registered voters released on Thursday.

In 2020, Kelly unseated appointed Republican Martha McSally in a race for John McCain’s unexpired term by about two points.

Arizona voters give President Joe Biden upside-down favorables of 44%-54%, while former President Donald Trump is also underwater at 47%-52%.

The poll also showed a majority of women in the state (62%) disapproving of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, with 37% approving.  Men were split, and the state is 37% approve, 54% disapprove.

Kelly, a West Orange High School graduate, is one of four U.S. Senate candidates with New Jersey roots.

Hershel Walker, who lived in Verona during his professional football career, is the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Georgia.  Democrat Cheri Beasley, a former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court and a 1988 graduate of Rutgers University, is seeking an open U.S Senate seat.    And Dr. Mehmet Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon and TV doctor who is the GOP candidate for an open U.S.  Senate seat in Pennsylvania, is a longtime resident of Cliffside Park.

Masters, a 36-year-old venture capitalist, had Trump’s endorsement in his GOP primary against businessman Jim Lamon and Mark Brnivich, the state attorney general.

In the race for Arizona governor, Democrat Katie Hobbs leads her Republican challenger Kari Lake by three point, 47%-44%, a race that is within the margin of error.

The Fox News poll was conducted between August 12-16 with a sample of 1,012 registered voters and a margin of error of +/- 3%.