Blake Masters speaking with attendees at the “Rally to Protect Our Elections” hosted by Turning Point Action at Arizona Federal Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona./Gage Skidmore
Opinion: When the establishment can’t make a choice, the choice gets made for them. It happened with Trump in 2016, and again with Blake Masters now.
By Greg Moore | The Arizona Republic
Infighting leads to extremism, making Blake Masters the choice of the Republican establishment.
It’s a reality that led to the rise of Trump and is paying off for Blake Masters like a MAGA Millions jackpot.
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Masters has taken the Arizona Republican primary for U.S. Senate with 39% of the vote in a crowded field, 11 percentage points higher than his nearest competitor (Jim Lamon, 29%) and more than doubling the third-place finisher (Mark Brnovich, 18%).
More than 80% of the votes had been counted by early Wednesday, according to data provided by The Associated Press.
If the Republican establishment had picked a candidate – Lamon or Brnovich, presumably – Masters wouldn’t have had such an easy path to victory. If Lamon had taken the bulk of Brnovich supporters, Masters would be a servant to the reality that Arizona voters prefer conservative strategies related to security and spending over culture wars and conspiracy theories.
