Trump-endorsed Masters, Finchem win Arizona GOP nods for key races
Trump-endorsed Masters, Finchem win Arizona GOP nods for key races
Blake Masters will face Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, while election conspiracy theorist Mark Finchem is in the party’s nominee for Secretary of State.
‘We did it’: Trump-endorsed Blake Masters celebrates Arizona primary winShare
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Mark Finchem will face the winner of the Democratic primary in November.
08/03/2022 07:40 AM EDT
State lawmaker and 2020 election denier Mark Finchem has won the Republican nomination for secretary of state of Arizona, pushing him closer to being the state’s chief election officer during the 2024 presidential vote, while venture capitalist Blake Masters will represent the party in the state’s key Senate race in the fall.
Both GOP primaries were called early Wednesday as more votes were counted in Arizona. The Senate race, once a hotly-contested GOP primary, saw Masters soar to the top of the polls after receiving former President Donald Trump’s endorsement. It was one of two big nods powering Masters’ campaign, along with $15 million in super PAC support from tech billionaire Peter Thiel, Masters’ former employer.
The general election is set to be one of the most pivotal Senate campaigns in the country. Closely divided Arizona is key to the GOP’s hopes of flipping the 50-50 Senate. But Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly is running a strong campaign, having banked tens of millions of dollars while Masters was battling in his primary. Kelly also still enjoys nonpartisan cred as a former astronaut — though Republicans have tried to chip away at that image with ads tying him to President Joe Biden his party in Washington. National GOP groups have already aired well over $35 million in ads going after Kelly this election cycle, according to AdImpact.
