Arizona Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters vowed to buck Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on certain issues if he’s successful in Tuesday’s midterm election, and went so far as to suggest the party needs new leadership in the upper chamber.
“I certainly think we need new leadership,” Masters told the Wall Street Journal.
Masters differentiated himself from his Democratic opponent, incumbent Mark Kelly, by accusing Kelly of uncritically taking direction from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
“I think it’s pretty clear that Chuck Schumer owns Mark Kelly,” Masters said.
McConnell “will not own me, McConnell doesn’t love me. And clearly, he had a chance to help. He didn’t do it…He doesn’t want me in there, but he’s about to be stuck with me,” Masters said.
A McConnell aligned Super PAC was slated to spend millions supporting Masters in Arizona but pulled back, allowing outside groups to foot the bill.
Masters and his fellow America First populists have lashed out at the GOP establishment on the campaign trail for sending billions in aid to Ukraine, arguing that money should instead be spent on securing the Southern border.
Although polls originally had Masters as a heavy underdog in the election, the race has become very competitive in recent weeks as the Republican Party has gained momentum. As of Tuesday morning, Masters and Kelly are locked in a virtual dead heat.
First Lady Jill Biden stumped for Kelly last week in a last-ditch effort to help the incumbent hold on to his seat. “What you do on November 8 will not just set the course for the future of Arizona, you’ll decide the future of our country as well,” Biden told a cheering crowd.
Masters is the chief operating officer (COO) of Thiel Capital, Peter Thiel’s venture fund. Thiel is one of the billionaire co-founders of PayPal alongside Elon Musk. Thiel spoke at the 2016 Republican presidential convention in support of Donald Trump.
Masters received Trump’s endorsement in August.