- You got one minute, one minute Martha,
say they don't wanna hear this, Martha,
come on, let's go, quick, quick, quick, quick.
Come on, let's go.
- All right, I'm coming, thank you, President Trump.
- [Luria] That's Martha McSally,
an unelected, incumbent Republican senator
from sweltering Arizona.
She's a big Trump supporter, an anti-immigration hawk,
and former fighter pilot who has been dropping policy bombs
in the Senate since her appointment in 2019.
- I'm producer Luria Freeman, and here's the story
of how one woman went from losing
a blistering Senate race in 2018 only to be appointed
to the state's other Senate seat weeks later.
The youngest of five children,
Martha Elizabeth McSally was born
in Warwick, Rhode Island in 1966.
Her father, an attorney, passed away
when McSally was just 12.
In the aftermath of his death, McSally's mother became
a reading specialist to support the family.
McSally excelled in academia.
She was the valedictorian at her high school,
and won a scholarship to the US Air Force Academy.
People Magazine notes,
She was the first ever
female fighter pilot to fly in combat.
McSally clocked in more than 100 combat hours
in her single-seat A-10 warthog
that has a top speed of 517 miles per hour,
and a 30 millimeter Gatling gun on the nose.
It was known as a gun with an airplane attached.
She patrolled the no-fly zone over Iraq
and directed search and rescue missions in Afghanistan.
In 2001, while serving as Lieutenant Colonel
in the Air Force, McSally took the national spotlight
when she sued then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
over the military requirement
that service women wore Muslim garb
when off-base in Saudi Arabia.
She won the case and was applauded
by Republican conservatives and liberal feminists.
Years after her service, in 2019, during a hearing
on sexual assault and misconduct in the military,
McSally bravely brought to light a harrowing
detail from her time in the Air Force.
- The perpetrators abuse
their position of power in profound ways.
And in one case, I was preyed upon
and then raped by a superior officer.
I stayed silent for many years, but later in my career,
as the military grappled with scandals
and their wholly inadequate responses, I felt the need
to let some people know I too was a survivor.
I was horrified at how my attempt to share
generally my experiences were handled.
I almost separated from the Air Force
at 18 years over my despair.
Like many victims,
I felt the system was raping me all over again.
- [Luria] McSally's brave revelation was met
with praise from both sides of the aisle.
However, her ultimate decision on the legislation,
which would have removed the military
from taking on cases of sexual assault, confused many.
As a New York Times notes,
McSally served 26 years in the Air Force
and retired in 2010 as a full Colonel.
In 2012, she ran for a U.S. House seat unsuccessfully.
She ran for Arizona's 2nd Congressional District
but lost the contest narrowly.
A couple of years later, she tried again.
The second time running for a seat was a success.
She finally won Arizona's 2nd Congressional District
at a blistering race by just over 150 votes.
She won re-election in 2016.
McSally was often looked at as a moderate Republican.
As the Phoenix New Times Wrote,
Then when former Attorney General Jeff Sessions
announced the end to DACA,
McSally Wrote House Speaker Paul Ryan
a letter urging him to come
up with legislation to protect the DREAMers.
She also criticized Trump during his campaign,
McSally never endorsed Trump, and even went further saying
She also called the early weeks
of his administration "Tremendously bumpy."
But then came 2018.
McSally had seen Trump take Arizona
by four points in 2016.
And when she announced her Senate run
all of her moderate takes, pro-DACA policy
and Trump bashing rhetoric abruptly came to an end.
McSally even removed a video on YouTube
of her defending the DACA program.
Back in 2018, after McSally announced her candidacy,
AZ Central wrote,
- My friend Martha McSally, she's real deal, she's tough.
- Like our president,
I'm tired of PC politicians and their BS excuses.
I'm a fighter pilot, and I talk like one.
- [Luria] Despite trying to become the guy
she once seemingly hated, she lost the race
to Democrat Kyrsten Sinema by 56,000 votes.
- Hey everybody, I just called Kyrsten Sinema
and congratulated her on becoming
Arizona's first female senator
after a hard-fought battle.
- [Luria] But lucky for McSally,
after John McCain passed away
and his appointed successor resigned,
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey appointed McSally
to the state's other Senate seat,
meaning she is sitting unelected and legislating
on behalf of a state that did not vote for her.
It's kind of like when you're not invited to the party
but a friend of yours is, and that friend invites to you.
You weren't really invited, but you get to go.
- Thank you Governor Ducey.
I'm really humbled by the confidence
that you've placed in me.
And I'm honored by this appointment.
- [Luria] McSally is anti-abortion,
against same-sex marriage
and equal treatment of transgender students.
She's a proponent of raising the retirement age,
and wants to convert Medicare to a voucher system,
which could lead to higher costs
for seniors already enrolled.
She also voted to eliminate protections
for pre-existing conditions,
which would threaten the estimated
50 to 129 million non-elderly Americans
who have preexisting health conditions.
Over the course of her career,
she's taken over a million dollars
from the healthcare industry,
as well as over $700,000 from the oil and gas industry.
When COVID-19 hit, McSally praised Trump's handling
of the virus and got all weird.
- You know, this is what I know,
I learned the day I entered the military,
is never trust a communist.
China is to blame for this pandemic
and the death of thousands of Americans
- [Luria] McSally is up for re-election
on November 3rd, 2020.
Early polls have suggested she'll lose Arizona
by a landslide to former astronaut
and Navy veteran Mark Kelly,
As McSally sees Democrat Kelly's numbers rising,
she has been hesitant to go all-in on Trump.
- Are you proud of your support for President Trump?
- Well, I'm proud that I'm fighting for Arizonans
on things like cutting your taxes.
- Senator, the question was, are you proud
of your support for President Trump?
- I'm proud to be fighting for Arizona every single day.
- [Interviewer] Is that a yes or a no for President Trump?
- Putting legislation on president Trump's desk.
- [Interviewer] So you're proud
of your support for President Trump?
- You look at the legislation we put
on his desk, it's to cut Arizona taxes.
- It sounds like she is proud
of her support for President Trump.
- [Martha] I'm proud to be fighting.
- [Luria] As McSally struggles to keep her head
above water in the race for Arizona's second Senate seat,
she has urged voters to fast a meal
so they can donate to her campaign.
- [Luria] Starving for McSally is a strange strategy,
but this is a desperate Republican
who has flipped on a dime for political convenience.
She's clearly pulling out all the stops,
considering the last time
Arizona had a say, the voters rejected her.
Only time will tell if her malleable spine will work
to her advantage or be her demise.
Until then, it's unclear
exactly who Martha McSally really is.