Poll shows nearly 50% of Arizona voters have unfavorable view of Democratic Sen Kelly, ahead of 2022

 A new poll shows nearly half of registered Arizona voters have an unfavorable view of Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly's job performance, posing another challenge for his party in its bid next year to retain their majorities in Congress.

The Arizona Public Opinion Pulse poll shows 48% of those surveyed have an unfavorable opinion of Kelly and 41% have a favorable one. 

Kelly was elected in November 2020 to complete the term of the late-GOP Sen. John McCain and faces reelection next year amid similar unfavorable polling for Democratic President Joe Biden and surveys that suggest Republicans gaining House and Senate seats and perhaps retaking control of Congress. 

"With less than a year until he must face voters once again, results of this latest AZPOP survey could serve as a warning sign for Sen. Mark Kelly, as the freshman Democratic Senator’s favorable numbers are underwater by seven percentage points," a summary of the poll stated.

The survey was conducted Nov. 1-8 among 713 registered voters with a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points.

Mike Noble, chief of OH Predictive Insights, which conducted the poll research, said, "As President Biden faces his lowest approval ratings since taking office, voters are turning their frustration to Democratic candidates. That’s something Senator Kelly should keep in mind as he faces re-election in one of the country’s closest swing states."

Kelly critics say he's yet to follow through on such campaign promises as remaining a more centrist or "independent" Democrat, unlike fellow Arizona Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who has challenged party leaders and progressive members of her party on key issues.

Because Kelly, a former astronaut and an advocate for strong gun-ownership laws, is from a battleground state and has become a top target of Washington Republicans, according to the Arizona Sun Times.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee recently launched an ad against Kelly saying, "A border in crisis and out of control, greater insecurity in our communities, we are paying more for food and gasoline. Everything is more expensive and going up. And now, he even wants to take away our rights as parents over our children's education. Mark Kelly has forgotten about Arizona's working families."