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The Arizona Republican Party has been torn by deep divisions for more than a decade, and Democrats have capitalized on this by winning key statewide races with less than 50% of the vote in both last elections. Now the overcrowded and cash-rich Senate primary almost assures Republicans will fight over who their candidate will be for more than a year, while Kelly, who narrowly won in 2020, rakes in money and consolidates his position.
In an interview, Masters hit on Kelly and the Democratic Party – but in a way that would also serve as a blow to any elected official, regardless of party, in a possible glimpse into the main GOP fight to come as the candidates all try to show external credentials.
“We have a class of leaders, especially this current generation of Democrats in charge, who have totally failed,” Masters said.
“I have seen a lot in politics, I have worked a lot in politics, I just have not been corrupted like so many civil servants,” he added, praising his experience at the head of a PAC in the state in 2020 and as head. operational director of Thiel Capital and chairman of the Thiel Foundation.
Masters is Thiel’s second close ally to recently run for the Senate, alongside JD Vance, who is running in Ohio and also has the backing of a Thiel-funded super PAC.
The race has been slower to develop than some of the GOP primaries in open Republican seats, and some Republicans worried early on about the lack of serious contenders. Lamon became the first candidate in May. Brnovich and McGuire joined the race in June, and the Masters have rounded out the field so far this week.
“Republicans now have a choice of quality candidates. I don’t think it always was, or at least there was a fear it wasn’t, “said Kirk Adams, former chief of staff to GOP Governor Doug Ducey. Adams said Brnovich was the top seed because of his statewide winning experience, but added that any of the Republican nominees could come out of the primary.
Chris Hartline, spokesperson for the Senate Republicans’ campaign, downplayed the fight within the party and said “whoever comes out of the Republican primary in Arizona will beat Mark Kelly,” calling him a yes to the agenda. democrat.
An Arizona Republican who watched the race said of the primary field: “At this point I would say they all have a lot to prove. They have to earn their place.”
The second quarter campaign funding reporting deadline on Thursday will provide an overview of fundraising from candidates, including whether any of them are investing personal funds in their campaigns. A more complete picture won’t emerge until October. But in the meantime, Republicans recognize that Kelly will have massive sums to fund his campaign. Her fundraising device never paused after winning a special election last November, and Kelly raised $ 6 million in the second quarter of this year and has $ 7 million in cash.
Part of the main challenge for Republicans will be proving they can keep pace with the incumbent Democratic, who is already facing GOP ads that undermine him early on.
“Mark Kelly has set a new bar,” Adams said, stressing the need for Republicans to prove their financial skills. “These are all very expensive races and you have to have the ability to send messages to these voters and it takes money.”
In the interview, Masters said he plans to focus on “law and order, securing the border and supporting the police” and economic recovery, focusing on middle-class workers. He also criticized big tech companies and pointed out GOP cultural war issues, such as opposition to critical race theory, are increasingly at the center of GOP candidates as an issue that strengthens their political base. He highlighted these same issues in a video officially launching his campaign.
In the interview, Masters pushed back on whether his criticism of Silicon Valley tech companies was hypocritical given his close association with Thiel and his support, which is likely to be an issue raised by his opponents. in the countryside.
“I don’t think that’s hypocritical at all. I actually know how this stuff works, ”Masters said. “Most people who don’t care about big tech have no idea. “
Other GOP candidates worked to establish their lanes from the early stages of the race. Brnovich has been a frequent guest on Fox News, and he has his touted role in the recent Supreme Court decision on voting rights.
“Mark Brnovich has been on the front lines of what matters to the Arizonans,” said Joanna Duka, spokesperson for his campaign.
Lamon, the first to enter the race, kicked off the campaign by touting his record for starting a solar engineering and construction company in the state. Stephen Puetz, adviser to Lamon, said it was “hard to beat someone who is the grassroots Conservative candidate, who is well funded and who is the only proven job creator who has built their own business in start from nothing”.
McGuire, who is also running his first campaign, was launched three weeks ago and was most recently the head of the Arizona National Guard. His campaign said he had already seen donors and momentum on the ground.
“Voters are sending a clear signal that they want someone with proven leadership,” Courtney Konderik, her campaign manager, said in a statement. “They realize it will take a general to beat the astronaut in this race.”
As in other GOP Senate primaries, former President Donald Trump is looming, and he will attend a rally in the state later this month. Masters said he had yet to meet or speak with Trump about his campaign, but said he would welcome the support of the former president if he supported the race. Trump didn’t weigh in on the primary except to criticize Ducey and Brnovich ahead of the Attorney General’s campaign launch.
Masters called the 2020 election “messy” and did it not say if he believed the election was legitimate. Trump has repeatedly claimed that the election was fraudulent, despite a lack of evidence, and many Republican Senate candidates have also questioned or attempted to undermine the election results.
“I think the election was a mess, and I don’t know for sure what happened. I know the result: Joe Biden was sworn in as president, ”Masters said. He said he supported the controversial audit of the results in Maricopa County, although he said he had not followed it closely. Many Republicans and Democrats have spoken out against the audit, criticizing the way it was conducted and calling it a fictitious process.
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