Business entrepreneur Blake Masters, a Republican who lost his bid to become U.S. senator for Arizona last election cycle, announced his run for a House seat in the state.
“I’m running for Congress, to fight for Arizona’s 8th,” Mr. Masters, 37, said on social media. “Biden has failed. We need to stop inflation, build the wall, avoid WW3, and secure Arizona’s water future. We need to fight for our families.”
Mr. Masters’ House bid ends speculation that he would launch a second Senate campaign in 2024 that would pit him in a primary fight against fellow Republican Kari Lake.
In 2022, Mr. Masters’ Senate run and Ms. Lake’s failed gubernatorial run were both endorsed by former President Donald Trump.
Ms. Lake announced her candidacy for the U.S. Senate earlier this month.
Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego and Republican Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb also are in the Senate race. Democrat-turned-independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has not announced her intentions for 2024.
Mr. Masters is not the only Republican vying for the 8th District seat. He will be facing in a GOP primary, Abraham Hamadeh, who ran for Arizona attorney general last year on a slate with Mr. Masters.
Ms. Lake, however, threw her support behind Mr. Hamadeh after Mr. Masters made his announcement, while Mr. Hamadeh took a jab at Mr. Masters over his Tucson residence, which is 100 miles away from the district.
“It is sad to see the establishment tricking Blake Masters into driving up all the way from Tucson and getting in the race,” Mr. Hamadeh wrote on social media. “They want the America First movement divided. Voters will remember who stood tall against the entrenched political class and who ran into their arms.”
Arizona’s 8th Congressional District in the Phoenix suburbs is currently represented by Rep. Debbie Lesko, a Republican who is not running for re-election. Ms. Lesko held the seat since 2018.
In a video pinned to the social media post, Mr. Masters says President Biden’s economy is “squeezing our middle class” and that our border with Mexico is “wide open,” “chaotic” and “lawless.”
He also goes after nearby California over a water rights issue. “California is just stealing our water based on a treaty that’s over 100 years old,” he says in the video.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.