Mark Kelly holds on to Arizona seat in critical win for Democrats

The senator defeated the Donald Trump-endorsed Blake Masters after a campaign in which Kelly pitched himself as a moderate

Democrat Mark Kelly has won re-election in Arizona, defeating his far-right challenger Blake Masters in a critical race that puts the Democrats one victory away from securing control of the US Senate.

The Arizona race is one of a handful of contests that Republicans targeted in their bid to take control of the 50-50 Senate. It was a test of the inroads that Kelly and other Democrats have made in Arizona, a state that was once reliably dominated by the GOP but has emerged as a purple battleground.