Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is fundraising for Republican Arizona Senate candidate Blake Masters, according to Punchbowl News.
McConnell will be the special guest at a Wednesday fundraising event for Masters, according to Punchbowl. The news comes amid an apparent conflict between Masters and McConnell: the Senate Leadership Fund, which is affiliated with McConnell, pulled millions of dollars in ad buys for Masters in August after Masters publicly criticized him multiple times.
“I think it’s a close race,” McConnell told Punchbowl.
Scoop in @PunchbowlNews PM: MCCONNELL will fundraise for @bgmasters
Here’s a list of the things Masters has said about McConnell.
We asked McConnell about the event. He said this:
“I think it’s a close race.”https://t.co/MNo5x4pNgR pic.twitter.com/AgSz0BPB4W
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) September 19, 2022
Masters represents a movement away from the GOP establishment, and he listed out some of his disagreements with the party in an exclusive interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation Sept. 11. He was particularly critical of the recent decision to pour $40 billion into Ukraine’s defense, a measure McConnell supported. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: ‘We’re Remaking The Republican Party’: Blake Masters Reveals Why The ‘Establishment’ Is ‘Out Of Touch’)
Masters declined to directly answer whether McConnell’s hesitation to fund his campaign was due to a perception of Masters as anti-establishment, and simply said he was confident his campaign would get the funds it needed.
“This race is too close, it’s too crucial and it’s too winnable. I don’t know when the dam breaks but I think we’re gonna have all the resources we need,” he said.
Masters is running against Democratic Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly in a tight race, and the contested seat represents a potential path for Republicans to take control of the Senate in November.
Masters and McConnell did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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