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Arizona Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters has changed his view on Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, saying he now expects the Kentucky Republican to provide financial support for his campaign.
Masters vowed to “find a way to work together” with McConnell to defeat Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly in November.
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Masters said he believes McConnell will “go in and spend” money in Arizona to support his bid for the race.
“I think he’s going to come in and spend. Arizona is going to be competitive. It’s going to be a tight race, and I hope he comes,” Masters said after a panel discussion with construction industry leaders outside Phoenix. “And we’ll find a way to work together.”
MCCONNELL MAKES PREDICTION ABOUT REPUBLICANS IN SENATE RACES, REFERENCES TO ‘QUALITY OF CANDIDATE’
Arizona GOP Senate candidate Blake Masters, left, says he’s hopeful Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will “come in and spend” money in Arizona as he seeks to unseat incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.
(Brandon Bell, Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images)
Masters’ comments came a day after McConnell suggested the GOP’s efforts to win control of the Senate could be in jeopardy because of the “quality of the candidates,” a comment interpreted as taking direct aim at the likes of Masters, JD Vance in Ohio and Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania.
“I think there’s probably a greater chance that the House will pass than the Senate,” McConnell said Thursday amid a lunch in Florence, Kentucky. “Senate races are different — they’re statewide, the quality of the candidates has a lot to do with the outcome.”
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Noting that he is “not Mitch McConnell’s favorite candidate,” Masters asserted that McConnell “wants to win Arizona.”
“I think I’m a much better candidate than Mitch McConnell is giving me credit for,” Masters said.
During the primary, Masters called for McConnell to be replaced as GOP leader, saying he would support Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri or Tom Cotton of Arkansas for the post. He also said at the time that he believed McConnell was “not good at” legislating.
Former President Trump meets with Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters at a “Save America” rally in support of Arizona Republican candidates on July 22, 2022 in Prescott Valley, Arizona.
(Mario Tama/Getty Images)
“I’m going to say that to Mitch’s face,” Masters said during a GOP primary debate in June. “He’s not bad at everything. He’s good for judges. He’s good at blocking Democrats. You know what he’s not good at? Legislating.”
Masters, who was endorsed by former President Trump in the primary race, predicted on Friday that McConnell will get another term as GOP leader and that no Republican will challenge him, but insisted he would not be a senator who “falls in line with whatever,” says McConnell.
“I think he’s going to be in charge. And I’m not just going to be a senator who goes along with whatever he says,” Masters told construction company officials. “I’ll listen to him. I’m happy to listen. But my vote doesn’t belong to Mitch McConnell. It doesn’t belong to Donald Trump.”
This week, the McConnell-controlled Senate Leadership Fund bought $28 million in advertising to boost JD Vance in Ohio, a seat many Republicans thought was safe.
(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
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Despite mentioning the “quality” of people running in Senate races across the country, McConnell has endorsed several of the candidates.
McConnell has also offered financial support to many of the Senate hopefuls seeking to defeat their Democratic rivals in November. This week, the McConnell-controlled Senate Leadership Fund bought $28 million in advertising to boost Vance in Ohio, a seat many Republicans thought was safe.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Kyle Morris covers politics for Fox News. On Twitter: @RealKyleMorris.
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