Days After Kelly Projected Winner in Arizona, Sen. Martha McSally Has Yet to Concede

Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., and her campaign have yet to comment days after the Nov. 3 election, which she seemingly lost to Democratic challenger Mark Kelly.

With Arizona still counting votes, McSally, a retired Air Force colonel and A-10 Warthog pilot, trails Kelly, a retired Navy combat aviator and former NASA astronaut, by roughly 81,000 votes as of Tuesday morning, according to The New York Times' election tracker. Kelly's win in the state's special election was officially called by The Associated Press just after midnight Nov. 4.

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McSally has not addressed her constituents and has not posted a message on her official social media accounts or issued a formal statement since last week. Kelly's campaign spokesman Jacob Peters told Tuscon.com on Monday that McSally has not conceded or contacted Kelly, even privately. Requests for comment from Military.com have not been returned.

Kelly was spotted on Capitol Hill for meetings after debuting his 13-person transition team; he can assume office once Arizona's Secretary of State certifies the election results.

Kelly's victory marks a historic moment for Arizona, giving the historically Republican-voting state two Democratic senators in Congress as he joins Kyrsten Sinema, who has been serving since January 2019. President Donald Trump backed McSally.

"Tonight is about getting to work," Kelly said during a speech Nov. 4, broadcast via YouTube.

"This mission has never been mine alone," he said, crediting the late Sen. John McCain as a reason to run for office. "He left a legacy of service to each other, to Arizona and to our country that will never be matched."

Kelly said he will work to uphold McCain's legacy in Congress.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.

Related: Former Naval Aviator, Astronaut Mark Kelly Defeats Martha McSally to Claim Senate Seat