Blake Masters garners endorsements from Gosar and Vance for Arizona congressional run, but not from Kari Lake

Blake Masters is running again for office. Although until recently there were indications that he might take a second shot at the upper chamber, Masters announced Thursday he instead has Arizona's 8th Congressional District in his sights.

The Tucson venture capitalist and father of three told KTAR-FM Friday that he opted not to run for the Senate because he "didn't want to cause some contested primary. ... President Trump wanted Kari [Lake] to run, and I think she's running a hell of a campaign so far, so I look forward to supporting her."

Masters avoided a standoff with Kari Lake, but he must now face a primary candidate whom Lake elected to throw her weight behind the day of Masters' announcement.

Arizona Rep. Debbie Lesko (R), a member of the Freedom Caucus, announced earlier this month that she would not be running for re-election in 2024.

The 8th District, home to around 800,000 people, leans Republican. Trump won the district by 13 points in 2020. The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission gives the GOP a 15% vote spread against Democratic candidates in races across the state, reported the Arizona Capitol Times.

"I want to spend more time with my husband, my 94-year-old mother, my three children, and my five grandchildren," wrote Lesko. "Right now, Washington, D.C. is broken; it is hard to get anything done."

Masters appears to agree with Lesko's assessment that D.C. is broken, but is confident he can do something about it.

"Washington is beyond broken. The Democrats in power have failed us. Joe Biden (and the people who are really running his administration) have delivered chaos at our Border, skyrocketing inflation, failing schools, and widespread wokeness. And they're doing it on purpose," wrote Masters.

"But there's good news: We The People are waking up. We are sick of the chaos, the crime, the weaponization of justice – just look at what they’re doing to President Trump. It's beyond crazy," he continued. "We need leaders who support President Trump. We need leaders who fight like the futures of our nation, our state, and our families depend on it. Because it does."

Masters started his career as a venture capitalist and co-authored a best-selling book with Republican megadonor Peter Thiel. He pivoted from business to politics in 2016, joining former President Donald Trump's transition team. In the way of policies, he would seek to secure the border and expedite deportation procedures; protect the unborn, the First Amendment, and the Second Amendment; restore American energy independence and high-paying manufacturing jobs; and protect Arizona's water supply.

Masters, once called "the future of the Republican Party" by Tucker Carlson, ran for the U.S. Senate in 2022 with former President Donald Trump's endorsement and lost by nearly 5 points to Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly (D).

In recent months, there was talk of Masters launching a second Arizona Senate bid, most likely for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's seat. However, it appears it wasn't in the cards — at least not where Trump was concerned.

Masters told KTAR's "The Mike Broomhead Show" that he had spoken to Trump and Lake before altering his 2024 political goals and turning his attention to Arizona's 8th Congressional District seat.

As of last week, there were at least 13 candidates in the race. Among them is Abraham Hamadeh, a Republican candidate who ran for Arizona attorney general with Trump's endorsement last year and lost by fewer than 300 votes.

Hours after Lesko indicated she would not be seeking re-election, Hamadeh announced he was running for her seat.

"President Trump is under attack. He needs back up — and I'm ready to help him Make America Great Again," Hamadeh wrote on X.

Lake did not endorse him outright. Rather, she indicated that she would be supporting Hamadeh within hours of Masters announcing his candidacy. Over the weekend, Lake's campaign reiterated her support for Hamadeh, noting he "has fought unwaveringly beside @KariLake in their battle against Maricopa County's corruption."

Responding to Lake's endorsement, Masters told KTAR, "Good for him [Hamadeh]."

"I'm going to have great endorsements too," continued Masters. "Congressman Paul Gosar just endorsed me, probably the most conservative members of the House of Representatives will end up endorsing me. I think they’d like me to be their colleague."

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) has also endorsed Masters, saying, "Blake is the conservative fighter we need in the House to combat the extreme liberal policies of Joe Biden and to put the GOP establishment in its place."

In the wake of Masters' announcement, Hamadeh's campaign has gone on the offensive.

Erica Knight, a spokeswoman for the campaign, told Politico, "All the way from Tucson, Blake Masters apparently has crawled out from under the rock he was hiding under after his terrible performance last November and now wants to run for a district hours away. ... The key endorsements for Abe Hamadeh so far, including Kari Lake, Ric Grenell, Kash Patel and Bernie Kerik, tell you everything you need to know about who the true America First fighter is in this race."

"Blake Masters, just entered the race coming in all the way from Tucson, no ties to the district. He actually did the worst out of the any of the Trump endorsed candidates. He only won that district by 7%, which is kind of scary. Where I won the district by 12%," wrote Hamadeh. "We can't afford any unnecessary errors going into 2024, our country is on the line. Any drag on the ticket could cost Trump the presidency in Arizona."

Early Monday, Hamadeh added, "I've got Kari's 6 and she's got mine. America First sticks together." Lake reposted the message.

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