McSally tells supporters to ‘fast a meal’ and donate to their campaign

Sen. Martha McSallyMartha Elizabeth McSally Democrats Demonstrate Emotional Calls to End Gun Violence on the Third Night of Convention Trump Seeks Impulse in Arizona by Focusing on Immigration Gun Control Groups Seek Convention Momentum MORE (R-Ariz.) Funny told her supporters to ‘fast a meal’ and donate for their re-election effort during a recent campaign event.

The Republican senator, who faces a fierce challenge from Democratic opponent Mark Kelly, made the remarks during an event in Northern Arizona, according to an audio recording obtained by outlet Arizona’s Family on Friday.

‘We’re doing our part to get you, you know, our message. But it takes resources, ”McSally said. ‘That everyone can give, I’m not ashamed to ask, to invest. If you could give one dollar, five dollars, if you could fix a meal and give what that would be. “

The comments caused a backlash among critics online, trending the senator’s name on Twitter with nearly 30,000 tweets on Saturday morning.

Singer-songwriter and writer Holly Figueroa O’Reilly called McSally’s remarks “sick.”

“There are literally people sitting all night in their cars in food bank lines to get a small box of food to feed their whole families for one week,” she wrote. “Martha McSally wants you to skip some meals so she can win her senate.”

There are literally people sitting all night in their cars in food bank lines to get a small box of food to feed their whole families one week.

Martha McSally wants you to skip some meals so she can win her senate state.

It’s sick. #sneontemoarn https://t.co/VUUO8Ctl5n

– Holly Figueroa O’Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) August 22, 2020

Dean Obeidallah, a cabaret artist and host of the radio show, called it “selfishness that defines Trumpism.”

WoW GOP Senator Martha McSally opposes people in need, but wants people to “fix a meal” and then send them the $ for their campaign so they can continue to turn their backs on working-class Americans! This is the SELFISHNESS that defines Trumpism !! https://t.co/x8ZHg2iLWY

– (((DeanObeidallah))) (@DeanObeidallah) August 22, 2020

The Lincoln Project, a Republican super PAC targeting McSally and other GOP senators, simply wrote, “Yikes.”

Yikes. https://t.co/LPCZV2aSzX

– The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) August 22, 2020

McSally’s campaign dismissed the criticism in a statement to local media.

“This is a dumb non-story about a candidate making a joke on the stump,” a campaign spokeswoman said in part to AZ Family.

Campaign spokeswoman Caroline Anderegg told the Republic of Arizona that McSally “would literally give the shirt of her back to everyone,” while accusing Democrats and Kelly’s campaign of “starting a misleading character assassination.”

“Martha has written checks to people on her block who are unable to pay for their groceries,” the spokeswoman added while also pushing back the criticism on Twitter.

Anyone who takes this selectively edited clip seriously becomes intellectually dishonest.

Mark Kelly can not cope with the problems, so his team did not press some BS story to get RTs. Congrats guys. https://t.co/xnSUck4VRW

– Caroline Anderegg (@cfanderegg) August 22, 2020

McSally is one of the most vulnerable inmates of the GOP Senate facing reelection this year. She is currently the only GOP Senate to find her seat in place The “Lean Democrat” column of the Cook Political Report.

She already has a history of losing a statewide race. A former representative from the 2nd District of Arizona, McSally was defeated in 2018 by Democrat Kyrsten Sinema in the state Senate race. Weeks after that loss, she was appointed by Gov. Doug DuceyDoug DuceyState, local Republicans plead for mail-in-vote, even as Trump opposes it Overnight health care: Fauci says he sees no US mandate COVID-19 vaccine | WHO warns against ‘nationalism’ in coronavirus fight Trump seeks impetus in Arizona by focusing on immigration MORE (R) to serve the rest of the late Sen. John McCainJohn Sidney McCainWhat will we remember from the Biden Convention in 2020 Trump beats McCain, ‘deadheads’ who sabotaged his campaign from within’ Lindsey Graham praises Jill Biden’s speech: ‘Outstanding person’ MORE‘s (R-Ariz.) term.

Virtually every recent public interview shows the GOP-mandated pursuit of Kelly, a former astronaut and captain of the U.S. Navy, in the race.

Kelly started the general election campaign with nearly $ 24 million in cash on hand, more than twice as much as McSally.