BARRY GOLDWATER

The state has always had an ornery streak. Now many Republicans are denying reality for Trump's sake.

(Nicholas Kamm/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON – Arizona Democrat and former astronaut Mark Kelly was sworn into the Senate on Wednesday, narrowing Republican control of the chamber and underscoring his state's shift from red to blue. Kelly, 56, defeated GOP Sen. Martha McSally in last month's election, making her one of only three incumbents to lose. Kelly's Arizona colleague, Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, held the Bible on which he took his oath. In what was one of the country's most expensive Senate races, Kelly raised $89 million. That was second only to the $108 million collected by defeated South Carolina Democratic Senate candidate Jaime Harrison, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

Joe Biden was declared the victor in Arizona on Tuesday, making him just the second Democratic presidential candidate in the last 72 years to win in a state that long embodied the bedrock conservatism of Republicans such as Barry Goldwater. The last Democrat to win Arizona was Bill Clinton, in his 1996 reelection race. In 2016, Trump notched a narrow 91,000-vote advantage in Arizona over Hillary Clinton. Advertisement“We forever were this bastion of Goldwater conservatism, and that still lives on in the vast rural stretches of the state,” said Michael O’Neil, a veteran Arizona pollster. That moderate stance also described Democrats’ Senate candidate, Mark Kelly, the former astronaut and husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords.

Election officials arrive for work at the Maricopa County Recorder's Office, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020, in Phoenix. The Associated Press has called the race in Arizona for Democrat Joe Biden. “The Associated Press continues to watch and analyze vote count results from Arizona as they come in,” said Sally Buzbee, AP’s executive editor. Many of the gains have been driven by the shifting politics of Maricopa County, which is home to Phoenix and its suburbs. Maricopa County accounts for 60% of the state’s vote.

The former vice president is competitive in all the battleground states Trump carried in 2016, and has put a handful of traditional Republican states, including Georgia and Arizona, in play. Grab the binoculars and focus on these 10 states as election returns start rolling in:FLORIDA: 29 ELECTORAL VOTESAll eyes are on Florida, a swing state known for razor-thin election tallies. If President Donald Trump doesn’t win Florida, he’s going to have a rough time capturing enough states to stay in office. As early voting began in the state, Biden expanded his ad buys into every corner of Ohio. Trump won Arizona in 2016, but it is no longer an ironclad GOP stalwart.

Grab the binoculars and focus on these 10 states as election returns start rolling in:FLORIDA IS WORTH 29 ELECTORAL VOTESAll eyes are on Florida, a swing state known for razor-thin election tallies. If President Donald Trump doesn’t win Florida, he’s going to have a rough time capturing enough states to stay in office. After the polls close, Florida election officials are expected to announced the results of millions of mail-in ballots cast early. As early voting began in the state, Biden expanded his ad buys into every corner of Ohio. Trump won Arizona in 2016, but it is no longer an ironclad GOP stalwart.

"Arizona should not be up for grabs," said 60 Minutes correspondent John Dickerson, who reported from the state for 60 Minutes. Instead, the changes are also playing out within Arizona's Republican Party itself. THE HISTORY OF ARIZONA'S REPUBLICAN PARTY"This is not just any old Republican Party," Dickerson said. "The Republican Party of Arizona has, in the history of the Republican Party, played a signature role." BettmannMcCain succeeded Goldwater, both in the Senate and in stature within Arizona's Republican Party.

Harris introduced Biden by blasting Trump’s “reckless disregard for human life and for the well-being of the American people” when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic. Arizona’s transformation seems stark for a state that just a decade ago was the epicenter of Republicans' push against anti-illegal immigration push. To varying degrees, Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico have all moved closer to Democrats since the turn of the century. Since 1952, a Democrat has won Arizona only once — Bill Clinton in 1996, with about 46% of the vote. Biden will look to run up the score there and on the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona.

It came to be known as Nixon's Southern strategy: a campaign that used fear of crime and lawlessness to tap into white Southern voters opposition to racial integration and equality without using overtly racist language. Nixon had to peel away some Southern white voters from Wallace without alienating voters in other regions. As president, Trump denigrated as animals some immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally. Trump's take on the Southern strategy isn't necessarily aimed at Southern voters. His targets are more likely working-class white voters in battleground states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wisconsin, Abramowitz said.

FILE - In this Thursday, July 9, 2020, file photo, Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey speaks about the latest coronavirus update in Arizona and benefits of wearing a mask during a news conference in Phoenix. Historically, Arizona has been something of a loner state, and many Arizonans seem to still like that image, wrote David Berman, a retired Arizona State University professor who has written extensively on the states history and political culture. Get out of my way.Most people in Arizona are wearing masks, many without hesitation, especially in urban areas. And thats for a reason.Wootan said she wears a mask only when required, and she doesn't cover her nose.

In this video, CBS News correspondent Charles Collingwood discusses 1964 GOP presidential nominee Barry Goldwater's impact on European politics. Many European leaders viewed the senator as an agitator and feared how he might influence their policy.