Arizona Republican Blake Masters, who mounted a U.S. Senate campaign against incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) last year but came up short, is back in campaign mode. This time, he has his sights set on a seat in the House of Representatives.
Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ) recently announced that she would not be seeking another term in the chamber, opening up a GOP primary that has already become crowded with more than a dozen contenders currently in the fray. Masters emerged as an early front-runner, however, bolstered by previous praise from influential figures including former President Donald Trump — who endorsed his Senate bid — and former Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson — who called Masters the “future of the Republican Party.”
This time around, he opted against a Senate candidacy in order to avoid a contested primary against former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, who has already received Trump’s backing ahead of next year’s election.
“I think she’s running a hell of a campaign so far, so I look forward to supporting her,” Masters said.
It appears that the endorsement will not be reciprocated, however, since Lake signaled her support for Abraham Hamadeh within hours of Masters’ confirmation that he would be running to replace Lesko. Nevertheless, he expressed confidence in his chances and touted the endorsements he has already received from others in the party.
Arizona needs more Happy Warriors in Washington DC@AbrahamHamadeh has fought unwaveringly beside @KariLake in their battle against Maricopa County's corruption
Abe will make a great Representative for Arizona's Eighth Congressional District https://t.co/Upo1SvabQS pic.twitter.com/1UnSkTP07x
— Kari Lake War Room (@KariLakeWarRoom) October 28, 2023
“Good for him,” Masters said of Hamadeh’s Lake endorsement, asserting that he is “going to have great endorsements too” as his campaign gets underway.
“Congressman Paul Gosar (R-AZ) just endorsed me, probably the most conservative members of the House of Representatives will end up endorsing me,” he said. “I think they’d like me to be their colleague.”
Another high-profile lawmaker has thrown his support behind Masters recently.
“Blake is the conservative fighter we need in the House to combat the extreme liberal policies of Joe Biden and to put the GOP establishment in its place,” declared Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH).
The Hamadeh campaign is setting the stage for a hard-fought primary, however, judging by a recent statement from spokesperson Erica Knight, who declared that Masters “apparently has crawled out from under the rock he was hiding under after his terrible performance last November and now wants to run for a district hours away.”
