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Major media call Arizona Senate race for Flake

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Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012
By Lorri Allen
Cronkite News

Major news outlets are projecting Republican Congressman Jeff Flake as the winner in the Arizona Senate race to replace retiring Republican Sen. Jon Kyl.

Unofficial returns show Flake with a large lead over Democrat Richard Carmona. While things look good for Flake, Cronkite News has yet to call the race based on the margin and ballots yet to be counted.

Flake currently represents a congressional district covering parts of Mesa and Chandler and all of Gilbert, Queen Creek and Apache Junction. He’s a fifth-generation Arizonan.

Carmona is a Democrat who served as U.S. surgeon general under President George W. Bush.

With national groups seeing the race as competitive, the campaign between Flake and Carmona featured heavy spending on negative advertising.

The allegations included Carmona being difficult to work with and tightly aligned with President Barack Obama. Attack ads portrayed Flake as a right-wing ideologue who has voted against support for veterans.

Flake touted his experience as a fiscal conservative who has led the charge against pork barrel spending.

Carmona is a decorated Vietnam veteran. He was recruited by the Tucson Medical Center and University of Arizona to establish Southern Arizona’s first regional trauma care system.