Thread by @MarthaMcSally

I am humbled and honored to stand before you, for the very first time, as your Republican nominee for the United States Senate.

It is tempting to celebrate. But let’s keep in mind: this is not our objective…our mission is not fulfilled until we win this seat in 70 days.

And candidly, it is difficult to celebrate anything this week as we mourn the loss of Senator McCain and prepare to honor him here in Arizona and in DC before he is laid to rest at Annapolis.

I am forever grateful to have had the chance to know him, learn from him, and even work with him on saving the A-10 warthog.

Tonight marks the next chapter in the campaign - the beginning of a 70 day sprint to electing Arizona’s next senator. In just 43 days, the people of Arizona will start voting! #AZSEN

This is how I see this campaign. It’s a choice between a doer and a talker…between a patriot and a protestor…between a career fighter pilot and a career politician - between proven grit and Hollywood glitz. #azsen

The contrast couldn’t be more clear: I have always been true to who I am and have spent my life in service to our great country.

I learned a lot from my father. He was first in his family to go to college. He served in the Navy, used his GI bill to earn a law degree, and was driven to make a better life for his 5 kids and our community.

And in 24 hours when I was 12 years oldeverything changed. We went from a day of spending time with family, to him not feeling well, then going to the hospital. He had a heart attack and was stable but in the middle of the night...

..he knew in his spirit he was leaving us and asked to see us kids. I was blessed to visit with him not fully understanding what was going on. And in that last conversation with my Dad, he told me to make him proud.

He suffered another heart attack the next morning at 49 and left us.

Those words “Make Me Proud” were written on the parchment of my heart as I began the grief-stricken journey of life without him.

My mom suddenly went from being a stay-at-home mom in her early 40’s, to being a widow and single mother of five kids.

She could have spiraled into despair but instead she sprung into action. She went back to school and back to work, and spent over 30 years in public education

So, if you wonder where I got my grit from to attend the Air Force Academy, and tell my fellow male cadets I would one day fly fighter planes - even though it wasn’t allowed at that time - well, I was just raised that way.

I do not have the capacity to walk by a problem - whether it is helping a neighborliving with a terminal diagnosis, a friend looking for work, or a stray dog on the side of the road. just ask my rescue golden Boomer.

I cannot, and will not, stay silent in the face of injustice.

That’s why I fought to double the child tax credit and to protect the child and dependent care tax credit as part of our historic tax cuts we passed last year, because working families and single moms deserve a break. And President Trump signed it into law.

I spearheaded legislation to improve mental health access and strengthen compliance with background checks and voted for the Stop School Violence Act to identify threats sooner and make our schools safer.

I have fought relentlessly to help our citizens break free from the chains of addiction, by dedicating resources to recovery and treatment.

And as a combat veteran myself, it is my calling to stand with our veterans to ensure they get the very best care they earned - including from the invisible wounds of war.

This is a big difference I have with my opponent. She preens and postures for the cameras, but when veterans were dying waiting for care while bureaucrats cooked the books in her own district at the Phoenix VA, she did nothing for 15 months.

Only when it became a national story did she start talking about it to cover her tracks.

But I’m not a talker, I’m a doer. An aviator, not a bloviator.

I have fought for our veterans and our care. And my first bill signed into law fast-tracked our veterans for jobs at the border. That’s a win/win for our vets and our security.

On issue after issue, by working together, we have shown an ability to solve problems and get thing done for Arizona. I have worked closely with President Trump to cut taxes for working families, to create jobs, to secure the border, to honor our veterans…

and when I am in the Senate, I will work with him to confirm judges who uphold the Constitution.

I believe in free markets because I believe we have the most innovative entrepreneurs, workers, and scientific minds on the planet.

I believe in a strong defense… and a strong America.

I believe in law and order. America has a right to enforce its sovereign border. We are not just a nation of immigrants, we are also a nation of laws. And we don’t have to choose between the two.

I have been leading the effort to modernize our legal immigration system, close legal loopholes that the cartels exploit, and build President Trump’s wall.

My life Scripture, that I have carried with me on many missions, is Esther 4:14. “Can it be that you were put in this position for such a time as this?” It gave me strength to put my military career on the line in the burka battle, and lead men and women in combat...

...and step up to deploy to DC in a continuation of service. It is a question for all of us, to remind us that the opportunities we have been given are not for us, but others.

We are all called to live lives of purpose - to take risks and show courage to do what’s right.

But our mission is not done. It has only just begun. So in the words of the old Air Force motto - let’s get to work and FLY. FIGHT. WIN! Thank you! #Azsen