Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley is endorsing venture capitalist Blake Masters in the crowded Republican primary to challenge Democratic Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly.
Masters, the chief operating officer of Thiel Capital, is currently running in third place behind Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and energy executive Jim Lamon, several recent polls have shown. Masters leads the primary field in fundraising from outside sources, racking up about $1.16 million in the first quarter of 2022. Thiel Capital founder Peter Thiel is supporting Masters’ campaign, donating $10 million to a pro-Master Super PAC and reportedly lobbying former President Donald Trump to endorse him.
“Blake is principled, honest, and tough. He will take the fight to the woke left, Big Tech & Communist China. He will fight to secure the border & get tough on crime. He won’t just talk. He will lead,” Hawley tweeted Monday.
Proud to endorse @bgmasters for US Senate in AZ. Blake is principled, honest, and tough. He will take the fight to the woke left, Big Tech & Communist China. He will fight to secure the border & get tough on crime. He won’t just talk. He will lead. Can’t wait to serve w/ him
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) April 25, 2022
During his campaign, Masters has focused primarily on issues related to Big Tech firms. He argues that Congress should pass new antitrust laws to break up companies, and prevent the companies from using consumer data in predatory ways. Masters has also stressed his opposition to illegal immigration and critical race theory, as well as his belief that outsourcing jobs has prevented American families from succeeding on single incomes. (RELATED: Thiel Capital COO Blake Masters Announces Run For Arizona Senate)
Hawley has endorsed several candidates in key Republican primaries, notably JD Vance in Ohio and Vicky Hartzler in Missouri.
Trump teased in an April 18 statement that an endorsement in the Arizona primary will be coming “in the not too distant future.” Trump is not expected to endorse Brnovich, who he frequently criticizes for not aggressively investigating alleged voter fraud in the 2020 election.
Masters has also received endorsements from Republican Indiana Rep. Jim Banks, former National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien and the Club for Growth.