Top officials at the Democratic National Committee have begun considering plans that would include a general election battle in Arizona. Joel Benenson, the Hillary Clinton campaign’s pollster and strategist, told TIME that if Trump is the nominee, Arizona will be one of several states “on the periphery of the Republican universe that get into play” for Democrats.
Republicans are preparing for a real race too. “In a stand-up race with Hillary and The Donald, I definitely say Arizona is in play,” said Chuck Coughlin, a Republican operative in Arizona who engineered Jan Brewer’s gubernatorial campaigns, adding that Clinton would have a serious shot at winning the state against Trump—particularly if Trump is unable to swing more toward the center.
In an early sign of unrest in the state, Republican Sen. John McCain is now in a statistical tie in a poll against Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, who is running for his seat, after years of blowout victories over Democratic challengers. McCain has generally said he’ll support the eventual Republican nominee, but he issued a short statement saying he shared the concerns of anti-Trump campaigner Mitt Romney earlier this month.
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