Republican Blake Masters announced that he conceded Arizona’s U.S. race to Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) on Tuesday and urged Republicans to reassess their strategy for future elections.
“I called and congratulated Mark Kelly this morning. There were obviously a lot of problems with this election, but there is no path forward in my race,” wrote Masters in a tweet.
— Blake Masters (@bgmasters) November 15, 2022
The 36-year-old venture capitalist thanked his campaign, voters, and family before turning his attention to the Republican Party, asserting that it must refine its approach to be competitive in future elections.
“We cannot afford to have another election cycle like these midterms,” stated Masters, adding:
Republicans are the underdogs now. I was outspent by over $70 million. That’s what happens when you take on the national Democrat machine, the media, the universities, Big Tech, and woke corporations.
So Republicans need to start thinking like underdogs. No more consultant one-size-fits-all strategies. We have to build on what works, scrap what doesn’t. The vast majority of people agree this country is headed in the wrong direction – we have to reach them.
I believe in Arizona and I believe in America. We can still save our home. We just have to fight harder and smarter… because we’re running out of time.
Soon before the race was called on Friday, Masters appeared on Fox News Channel’s Tucker Carlson Tonight, where he blasted Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell:
Mitch McConnell, McConnell decided to spend millions of dollars attacking a fellow Republican in Alaska instead of helping me defeat Senator Mark Kelly. Had he chosen to spend money in Arizona, this race would be over. We would be celebrating a senate majority right now.
“He doesn’t deserve to be a majority leader or a minority leader,” Masters added.
In September, the McConnell-aligned super PAC, the Senate Leadership Fund, pulled $9.6 million in reserved advertisements for the U.S. Senate race in Arizona, as Axios reported. The SLF was “confident” other conservative groups would place money behind Masters.
Ultimately, PACs, including the Sentinel Action Fund, MAGA, Inc., and Saving Arizona, poured millions of dollars into the race to bolster Masters after the SLF reportedly left an enormous void.
Moreover, the SLF pulled $5.6 million from New Hampshire’s GOP Senate candidate, Gen. Don Bolduc, in his race against Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) in late October as the race tightened in the polls. The decision to take investments out of New Hampshire coincided with the SLF’s move to dump $9 million behind Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) to help stave off her Trump-backed GOP challenger, Kelly Tshibaka.
In other words, the McConnell-aligned SLF essentially abandoned a GOP candidate facing a Democrat and, at the same time, funded a pro-impeachment establishment Republican in her reelection against an America First challenger.
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