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Article snippet: Republicans hoping to hold on to the Arizona Senate seat currently held by Sen. MORE’s supporters without alienating more moderate general election voters. The Tuesday announcement from Arpaio, whose criminal contempt conviction Trump pardoned last year, came just days before McSally joined the primary. While Arpaio made his name as an immigration hard-liner and promoter of the discredited conspiracy theory that former President Obama wasn’t born in the United States, McSally is the party establishment pick meant to appeal in the general election. But McSally doesn’t have a clear path in the late August primary for the seat that opened up when Flake announced his retirement in the face of poor poll numbers. Former state Sen. Kelli Ward (R) was originally the only candidate running from the right, but new polling shows Arpaio close to McSally while siphoning off Ward’s conservative supporters. Arpaio’s entry changes the calculus of a race that could become one of the more brutal primaries in the country. “With the entrance of Joe Arpaio and now the formal announcement of McSally, this race just got very interesting — and not in a good way — for Kelli Ward,” former state GOP chairman Robert Graham told The Hill. The two announcements made clear statements about the kind of campaigns the two candidates expect to run. Arpaio announced his bid in an interview with the conservative Washington Examiner newspaper, styling himself as a loyal supporter of Trump. Arpaio’... Link to the full article to read more