Getty Sen. Martha McSally, R-Arizona
MAGA McSally is a Twitter hashtag taunting U.S. Senator Martha McSally, R-Arizona, after she asked supporters to skip a meal to donate to her campaign, which her campaign clarified was a joke.
McSally made the comments at a recent event in Arizona, and faced backlash on social media as #MAGAMcSally took off. Her campaign told Arizona Family that McSally telling supporters to “fast a meal” and donate to her campaign was a joke.
Watch video of McSally’s comments here or below.
Here’s what you need to know:
Sen. Martha McSally Told Supporter to ‘Fast a Meal’ & Donate; Her Campaign Called the Backlash ‘a Character Assassination’
Senator Martha McSally, R-Arizona is down in the polls and in fundraising efforts against Democratic opponent Mark Kelly, according to Arizona Family.
“We’re doing our part to catch up, you know, to get our message out. But it takes resources. So, anybody can give, I’m not ashamed to ask, to invest. If you can give a dollar, five dollars, if you can fast a meal and give what that would be,” McSally told her audience on an audio recording obtained by Arizona’s Family.
Caroline Anderegg, a McSally campaign spokeswoman, told the Arizona Republic the comment was a joke and that the attention it attracted was a “character assassination.”
“This is a dumb, non-story about a candidate,” she said. “It is frankly sad and disgusting that the Dems and the Kelly campaign are launching a misleading character assassination on Martha McSally, who would literally give the shirt off her back for anyone. Martha has written checks to people on her block that can’t afford their groceries.”
Arizona Family reported Kelly raised more than twice what McSally had raised by the end of June, the last reporting period. Real Clear Politics polls in August show McSally trailing behind Kelly by between five and 11 points.
#MAGAMcSally Was Trending on Twitter as Sen. McSally Faced Backlash Over Her Comments
I just gave 860 meals to @FeedingAmerica. Join me and give meals to hungry families! t.co/7UkGY3Vhbe
Instead of #MagaMcSally, I donated $86.45.
“MAGA McSally” was a Twitter trend on Saturday, August 22, 2020, aimed at Republican Sen. Martha McSally. The Arizona senator asked for campaign donations at an event, and asked her supporters to “fast a meal” and donate. The comment was a joke, her campaign said.
But the backlash took off on Twitter, becoming the No. 31 trend in the United States on Saturday afternoon. More than 16,000 people tweeted the hashtag, according to GetDayTrends.
The Twitter trend also prompted a spike of people saying they were donating to Feeding America.
“I just gave 860 meals to @FeedingAmerica. Join me and give meals to hungry families! http://feeding.am/givemeals Instead of #MagaMcSally, I donated $86.45,” wrote Rick Wilson of the Lincoln Project.
“Oh boy. Looks like we’ve got a new name for America’s most infamous unelected US Senator. #MagaMcSally” wrote Joshua Geller on Twitter.
Another person shared a photo of a hamburger in a mailbox, and wrote, “My Donation is in the mail. #MAGAMcSally”
@MarthaMcSally My Donation is in the mail. #MAGAMcSally
Another person shared a photo of McSally, which appeared to be taken in a diner.
“How hard it must’ve been for #MAGAMcSally to focus with that campaign money sitting right in front of her,” the tweet said.
“Hey McSally, will you accept an old can of pumpkin I have in my pantry? #MAGAMcSally” another person wrote.
Others on Twitter were much more harsh, calling the senator “disgusting” and “selfish” and saying, “See you in hell.”
READ NEXT: Edward Snowden Now: Where Is the NSA Whistleblower Today in 2020?