Republican Blake Masters will reportedly announce his campaign for U.S. Senate in an effort to unseat independent Arizona Sen. Krysten Sinema.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Masters, who lost his bid for Arizona’s other Senate seat in 2022, plans to run in 2024. Masters previously lost to Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, winning 46.5 percent of the vote to Kelly’s 51.4 percent.
Masters will reportedly announce his campaign in the coming weeks, a move that could put him at odds with Republican Kari Lake, who is rumored to be considering her own bid for the seat. (RELATED: ‘So Pissed Off, I Cannot Even See Straight’ — Ted Cruz Blames Mitch McConnell For GOP Midterm Losses)
Lake ran for Arizona governor in 2022, losing to then-Secretary of State Katie Hobbs by around 17,000 votes (or 0.6 percent).
Sinema’s decision to leave the Democratic party in Dec. 2022 prompted Democratic Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego to announce his own bid for her seat, potentially setting up a three-way contest in one of the most closely watched 2024 races.
Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake (R) and Arizona U.S. Senate candidate Blake Masters raise their arms at a campaign rally on November 05, 2022 in Queen Creek, Arizona. Lake faces Democratic Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs in Tuesday’s general election, which polls suggest is virtually tied. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Masters did not respond to inquiries from the Journal about his reported Senate bid. (RELATED: Blake Masters Trolls Mark Kelly With Retro ‘Mr. Spaceman’ Game)
Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz slammed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell during a Nov. 2022 podcast, saying the GOP should have won the majority of the upper chamber in the midterms and blamed McConnell for not give Masters more support. Cruz said there was no excuse for McConnell to abandon Masters, calling the move “indefensible.”