Kelly, Hobbs leading Arizona races: CNN poll

Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly (Ariz.) and gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs (D-Ariz.) currently have the lead in their respective races ahead of November’s midterm elections, according to a new CNN poll. 

The poll, published on Thursday, found that 51 percent of respondents said they’ll support Kelly in next month’s Senate election, while 45 percent of those surveyed offered their support for Trump-backed Blake Masters. 

Forty-nine percent of registered respondents have a favorable opinion of Kelly, while 39 percent of respondents said they have an unfavorable opinion of the incumbent senator, according to the poll. 

Thirty-two percent of registered respondents said in the poll that they have a favorable opinion of Masters, though 48 percent of those surveyed said they have an unfavorable opinion of him. 

In the gubernatorial race, 49 percent of respondents said they’ll support Hobbs in next month’s election for state governor, while 46 percent of those surveyed in the poll offered their support for Kari Lake, who was endorsed by former President Trump. 

When it comes to supporting Biden or Trump, 48 percent of respondents believe that Masters is too supportive of the former president, while 37 percent of respondents believe Masters’ support of Trump is OK. 

Forty-seven percent of respondents believe that Kelly’s support of President Biden is valid, while 43 percent of those surveyed believe he’s too supportive of Biden, the poll said. 

The poll comes as Arizona has become one of the most closely watched states ahead of November’s midterm elections. The Senate showdown between Kelly and Masters could determine control of the Senate chamber. 

Hobbs, Arizona’s secretary of state, announced last month that she had no plans to debate Lake, a former local news anchor, in the state governor‘s race, labeling her GOP opponent as a “conspiracy theorist,” noting Lake’s repeated false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

CNN’s poll was conducted from Sept. 26 to Oct. 2 with a total of 900 respondents participating in the survey. The poll’s margin of error was 4.4 percentage points.