‘Throwing in the towel with Blake Masters already?’ Major Republican super PAC bails on Trump’s Senate pick in Arizona
According to a report by Politico on Friday, the primary super PAC for Senate Republicans is canceling close to $8 million in ads in Arizona, a move that indicates the GOP could be cooling on its support for Senate nominee Blake Masters.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) super PAC, the Senate Leadership Fund, is getting rid of $8 million worth of ads that were to begin airing in the fall. The amount is reportedly approximately half of what the fund had originally planned to spend in Arizona for the November primaries.
"News: GOP super PAC SLF canceling $8m in ad buys in Arizona Senate race, about half its reservations. Will raise questions about GOP view of Blake Masters. Group also cutting two weeks of ads for Murkowski; they think she’s in good shape."
\u201cNews: GOP super PAC SLF canceling $8m in ad buys in Arizona Senate race, about half its reservations. Will raise questions about GOP view of Blake Masters.\n\nGroup also cutting two weeks of ads for Murkowski; they think she\u2019s in good shape.\n\nhttps://t.co/u72pgJivdM\u201d— Burgess Everett (@Burgess Everett) 1661537458
Masters is running against Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and according to Politico, Republicans believe that protecting Senate seats in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Ohio, as well as flipping Georgia and Nevada, is more important than flipping Arizona.
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The super PAC said it has plans to reallocate the money elsewhere but isn't giving up on Arizona. Senate Leadership Fund President Steven Law said the PAC is "leaving the door wide open" in the state.
“We’re leaving the door wide open in Arizona, but we want to move additional resources to other offensive opportunities that have become increasingly competitive, as well as an unexpected expense in Ohio,” said Law. “We think the fundamentals of this election strongly favor Republicans, we see multiple paths to winning the majority, and we are going to invest heavily and strategically to achieve that goal.”
The move caused many to speculate whether the GOP was giving up on Masters. New York Times national political reporter Shane Goldmacher speculated that PAC's move was a message to Republican donor Peter Thiel.
"Confirmed: The main Senate GOP super PAC is cutting *four weeks* of TV time reserved in Arizona. This is about Blake Masters, who is down in the polls. But it's also very much a message to Peter Thiel, who they want to step up."
Arizona Republic Journalist Elvia Diaz shared Goldmacher's tweet on social media with the caption, "GOP throwing (in) the towel with Blake Masters already?"
Former President Donald Trump endorsed Masters earlier this summer. "Arizona is a State where the 2020 Election was Rigged and Stolen, and a very thorough audit proved it," Trump said in a statement. "Blake knows that the ‘Crime of the Century’ took place, he will expose it and also, never let it happen again."