Blake Masters: Arizona Populist GOP Senate Hopeful

Going into the final months of 2020, Arizona’s U.S. Senate race looked increasingly dire for the Grand Old Party. As the traditionally red Grand Canyon State — once the proud home of conservative folk hero Barry Goldwater — continued to trend leftward, embattled Republican incumbent Martha McSally was slipping precipitously in the polls. The 54-year-old freshman had an admirable background as the first female commander of an Air Force fighter squadron but a weak presence on the stump, and a confusing campaign message that fluctuated between Trumpy populism and moderate pro-business conservatism. What’s more, McSally had never won a statewide election: She lost her first Senate bid to Kyrsten Sinema in 2018 before leveraging her connections in the Arizona GOP to be appointed to John McCain’s former seat the following year — a serious strategic error on the part of the local party apparatus, given the senator’s dearth of political je ne sais quoi. Her success or failure in fending off Mark Kelly, a formidable Democratic challenger with a pedigree as a former NASA astronaut and Navy combat veteran, would be decisive in determining the balance of the upper chamber of Congress.

From his perch in Sedona, Blake Masters could see the writing on the wall. “We need to keep this seat Republican,” he told the Arizona Republic in late 2019. “And we need a GOP that puts voters before donors. Martha McSally lost a winnable race last year. If I come to believe that she can’t win next November, I’ll run.”

About the Author

Nate Hochman

Nate Hochman was a staff writer at National Review.

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Going into the final months of 2020, Arizona’s U.S. Senate race looked increasingly dire for the Grand Old Party. As the traditionally red Grand Canyon State — once the proud home of conservative folk hero Barry Goldwater — continued to trend leftward, embattled Republican incumbent Martha McSally was slipping precipitously in the polls. The 54-year-old freshman had an admirable background as the first female commander of an Air Force fighter squadron but a weak presence on the stump, and a confusing campaign message that fluctuated between Trumpy populism and moderate pro-business conservatism. What’s more, McSally had never won a statewide election: She lost her first Senate bid to Kyrsten Sinema in 2018 before leveraging her connections in the Arizona GOP to be appointed to John McCain’s former seat the following year — a serious strategic error on the part of the local party apparatus, given the senator’s dearth of political je ne sais quoi. Her success or failure in fending off Mark Kelly, a formidable Democratic challenger with a pedigree as a former NASA astronaut and Navy combat veteran, would be decisive in determining the balance of the upper chamber of Congress.

From his perch in Sedona, Blake Masters could see the writing on the wall. “We need to keep this seat Republican,” he told the Arizona Republic in late 2019. “And we need a GOP that puts voters before donors. Martha McSally lost a winnable race last year. If I come to believe that she can’t win next November, I’ll run.”