<p>Sen.&nbsp;<a class="person-popover__link" href="https://thehill.com/people/mark-kelly/" _mce_href="https://thehill.com/people/mark-kelly/">Mark Kelly&nbsp;</a>(D-Ariz.) is projected to win reelection to the Senate, defeating Republican&nbsp;<a class="person-popover__link" href="https://thehill.com/people/blake-masters/" _mce_href="https://thehill.com/people/blake-masters/">Blake Masters&nbsp;</a>in one of the preeminent battleground contests on the midterm map this year and putting Democrats one step closer to securing their majority.</p> <p>Kelly, who is completing the final two years of the late Sen.&nbsp;<a class="person-popover__link" href="https://thehill.com/people/john-mccain/" _mce_href="https://thehill.com/people/john-mccain/">John McCain’s&nbsp;</a>(R) term, held a steady lead over Masters, a protege of PayPal founder Peter Thiel, since the early August primary, though his lead slimmed in the final weeks.&nbsp;</p> <div class="ad-unit__content"></div> <p>His ultimate victory is a key hold for Democrats as they await the results of Senate races in Nevada, which is undergoing a similarly drawn-out counting process, and Georgia, which has gone to a Dec. 6 runoff. It also marks a defeat of one of the most closely watched candidates elevated by former President Trump.</p> <p>Kelly, a retired astronaut and husband of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), was buoyed throughout by a juggernaut of a fundraising operation. According to his Federal Election Commission filing on Oct. 19, the final financial snapshot of his campaign, Kelly raised more than $80 million for the run, a number that allowed him to flood the airwaves throughout the three-plus month stretch between the primary and Tuesday’s election.</p>