Instead, the two accomplished combat pilots and 蜜柚直播 residents are locked in a nasty dogfight for the 蜜柚直播 Senate seat once held by John McCain.

McSally is the Republican incumbent, appointed to the seat in 2018 after two terms as a congresswoman from 蜜柚直播鈥檚 2nd District.

Before that she broke barriers in the Air Force as the first female fighter pilot to fly in combat and the first woman to command a fighter squadron, completing missions over Iraq and Afghanistan from the cockpit of an A-10 based at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.

Kelly, a Democrat, is making his first run for elected office after 25 years as a Navy pilot and 15 years as NASA astronaut.

He flew 39 combat missions during the Gulf War and four missions on the space shuttle, twice as pilot and twice as commander.

The contest could prove decisive as Republicans look to hold onto their majority in the Senate and Democrats try to seize control of Congress and the White House.

Already, the race ranks as the most expensive in 蜜柚直播 history, with well over $80 million spent so far to flood the airwaves with ads from the two candidates and from various outside groups, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

On their approaches to leadership

After a pandemic-friendly elbow-bump greeting on Tuesday, Kelly chatted with the Star in the shade of a tree at Udall Park in 蜜柚直播.

He described himself as an independent-minded 蜜柚直播 moderate in the mold of McCain, Barry Goldwater and 鈥渕y wife, Gabby Giffords鈥� 鈥� someone who will be guided by science and data instead of politics and is willing to work across the aisle to find consensus on big issues like health care, the economy and COVID-19.

鈥淚 was a registered independent two years ago, and I鈥檓 still somebody who votes for the person,鈥� Kelly said. 鈥淭hese are hard problems that we鈥檙e facing as a county, and the only way you typically solve hard problems from my personal experience is you鈥檝e got to get everybody involved, and you鈥檝e got to do it together as a team in a bipartisan way.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檙e lacking that right now in the United States Senate,鈥� he said.

The McSally campaign did not make her available for a one-on-one interview for this story, but she did participate in a video chat on Monday with the Star鈥檚 editorial board and some of its readers.

McSally said she is the same person she was when she was first elected to Congress in 2014: a 鈥減ragmatic problem solver鈥� who consistently ranked high among her peers in both the House and the Senate for bipartisanship and getting bills passed into law.

鈥淢y record is fighting for 蜜柚直播, fighting for 蜜柚直播, putting legislation on both President Obama鈥檚 desk and President Trump鈥檚 desk that鈥檚 good for 蜜柚直播,鈥� McSally said.

On the federal response to coronavirus

She defended the federal government鈥檚 response to the coronavirus, blaming the severity of the pandemic on secrecy and mismanagement by China while arguing that the actions taken early on in the U.S. were consistent with what health experts were telling the Senate and the Trump administration.

COVID-19 was 鈥渁 new virus,鈥� she said, and there were 鈥渁 lot of things we know now that we didn鈥檛 know then.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 just telling you what the public-health officials were telling all of us at the time as we were learning about the virus. They were telling us not to wear masks. They were telling us the risk was low. They were telling us to go about our lives and not be fearful and not panic,鈥� McSally said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e learned a lot. We鈥檙e doing the best we can.鈥�

But Kelly said the federal response has been a step behind from the start and still hasn鈥檛 caught up, turning a public-health crisis into an economic crisis as well.

鈥淲e still need a national plan. We don鈥檛 have one on testing and contact tracing. We lost months on this,鈥� he said through a mask printed with the Navy鈥檚 blueberry blue camouflage. 鈥淲e really have a failure of leadership that has made this much worse than it needed to.

鈥淚 mean there鈥檚 only one metric you need to look at on this: We have 4% of the world鈥檚 population, and we have more than 20% of the fatalities from COVID-19,鈥� Kelly said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not a good record.鈥�

On leading by example and the politics of masks

Without mentioning McSally or Trump by name, Kelly also criticized leaders for politicizing the use of masks and other safety measures, calling it a missed opportunity to protect people.

鈥淚f we could have gotten everyone in Washington, D.C., on day one to say, 鈥楬ey, we鈥檙e going to set the best example possible, we鈥檙e going to wear a mask all the time, we鈥檙e going to encourage everyone to socially distance, wash their hands and then we鈥檙e going to work really hard to get to a vaccination,鈥� I don鈥檛 think we鈥檇 be over 200,000 deaths right now,鈥� Kelly said.

McSally blamed 鈥渄raconian鈥� lockdown restrictions in some places for stoking frustration and pushback against masks, though she said she has been vocal in encouraging their use and wearing them herself in public settings.

鈥淚鈥檓 just telling you what I鈥檓 doing,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think everybody needs to set the example for each other and use common sense.鈥�

As for the president, she suggested he is in the unique position of not having to wear a mask if he doesn鈥檛 want to.

鈥淟ike he鈥檚 in his own category, you guys,鈥� McSally told the Star editorial board, three days before Trump announced that he and the First Lady had contracted the virus. 鈥淗e gets tested all the time, people around him get tested. Every time I鈥檝e gotten tested, it鈥檚 because I鈥檓 going to be around him, and so it鈥檚 just, it鈥檚 just not the same.鈥�

On fixing the health-care system

McSally and Kelly are scheduled to meet for their one and only debate on Tuesday, Oct. 6, hosted by The 蜜柚直播 Republic, 蜜柚直播-based 蜜柚直播 Public Media and Phoenix public radio station KJZZ.

Monday, Oct. 5, is the last day to register to vote in the general election. Early voting starts two days later.

The winner will serve until January 2023, completing the final term McCain won in 2016, two years before he died.

Gov. Doug Ducey appointed McSally to the post in December 2018, the month after she lost her bid for 蜜柚直播鈥檚 other Senate seat to Democrat Kyrsten Sinema.

The two candidates also differ on health-care policy. Kelly favors building on the Affordable Care Act and providing a public option that would compete with private insurers.

McSally wants to jettison the 鈥渇ailed鈥� ACA and opposes any government takeover of the health-care system, though both candidates have pledged to protect people with preexisting conditions from losing their coverage or being priced out of the market.

McSally鈥檚 commitment on that front has drawn criticism and attack ads that point to her record of support for measures that would weaken or repeal ACA and its built-in protections for those with preexisting conditions.

She said Obama鈥檚 signature health-care policy had great intentions 鈥� including some that she shares 鈥� 鈥渂ut intentions don鈥檛 equal outcomes.鈥�

鈥淚 meet people every single day in 蜜柚直播 right now, under the Affordable Care Act, who can鈥檛 afford their health insurance. So they鈥檙e uncovered,鈥� McSally said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not working for them.鈥�

Kelly acknowledges problems with Obamacare that have led to high costs and limited choices for 蜜柚直播ns, but he blames Congress for politicizing the issue instead of solving it.

He said more competition and negotiation is needed to drive down costs, starting with freeing Medicare officials to negotiate the price of prescription drugs.

On surprise billing and the Supreme Court

Kelly has also called for an end to unexpected and shockingly high medical charges that are driving some patients into bankruptcy, though he himself has been criticized for profiting off the practice.

As recently as February of 2019, Kelly served on the boards of two medical transport companies that fly patients long distances for life-saving treatments. The industry has made news in recent years for billing unsuspecting patients huge amounts of money 鈥� hundreds of thousands of dollars in some cases.

Kelly said he was brought in to advise the companies on air operations and flight safety, not the rates they charged for their services.

鈥淢y experience was about trying to make this as safe and as operationally effective a process as possible,鈥� he said.

He added that the work such companies do is 鈥渞ather challenging,鈥� but he said patients deserve transparency and affordability from their medical care. 鈥淲e need to end surprise billing,鈥� he said.

McSally and outside Republican groups have launched attack ads highlighting Kelly鈥檚 connection to the medical transport business.

They have also slammed him for his other business relationships, including lucrative speaking engagements and his role with 蜜柚直播-based aerospace company World View, though independent fact-checkers have labeled some of those attacks as false or misleading.

The future of the Affordable Care Act could soon be in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court, and predictably, perhaps, McSally and Kelly have staked out opposite positions on filling the vacancy left by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Kelly wants the confirmation process to be paused until next year, so those elected to the Senate and the White House can participate and voters can have a voice in the lifetime appointment.

McSally, who has already voiced support for Trump nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett, said historical precedent and the Constitution call for the process to move forward without delay.

On gun control and getting things done

Kelly admits he might not be running for office right now had his wife鈥檚 political career not been cut short by the Jan. 8, 2011, assassination attempt that killed six people and left her with a brain injury.

Since then, Kelly and Giffords have become outspoken gun control advocates, earning him an 鈥淔鈥� grade from National Rifle Association.

He said the issue is obviously a personal one for him, but he comes at it as 鈥渁 gun owner and a supporter of the Second Amendment.鈥�

Kelly supports what he called commonsense solutions favored by most 蜜柚直播ns 鈥� namely background checks for all gun sales, stronger domestic violence legislation, and state and federal red flag laws that would allow guns to be removed from people who are a danger to themselves or others.

鈥淣ow we need to respect our rights and traditions,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut we can never get to the point where we think a bunch of kids getting killed in the classroom is something we have no control over. Because we do.鈥�

The NRA 鈥淎鈥�-rated and endorsed McSally said she is hesitant to enact new restrictions on guns, preferring instead to strengthen and properly manage the existing background check system to make sure dangerous individuals don鈥檛 fall through the cracks.

Another way to reduce gun violence is by addressing shortcomings in the mental health-care system, she said. 鈥淏ut we also need to ensure that law-abiding citizens have their constitutional rights protected.鈥�

Whatever is done will require bipartisan cooperation, McSally said.

鈥淥ften what happens in Washington, D.C., is you have people stand in their corners, and they just don鈥檛 do anything to address issues,鈥� she said.