The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), chaired by Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), announced Thursday a seven-figure investment into Blake Masters’ Arizona Senate race.
The investment represents the NRSC’s belief that Arizona is both an important battleground state and a viable seat for Republicans to flip from blue to red come November.
“The NRSC has made a significant investment in Arizona, and we are confident that voters will choose Blake Masters over do-nothing liberal Democrat Mark Kelly in November,” Chris Hartline, spokesperson for the NRSC, told Politico.
The investment will go towards direct mailers and TV ad buys that will be coordinated with Masters’ attacks on Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ). The TV ads will be launched next week.
Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, left, and his Republican challenger Blake Masters, right, arrive on stage prior to a televised debate in Phoenix, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
The NRSC’s renewed investment comes after the committee already furnished Masters with $11 million with an additional $430,000 in polling and community building with the Hispanic electorate.
The NRSC’s strategy in Arizona differs from Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) backed leadership fund, which relocated nearly $8,000,000 from Arizona last month to different states, such as Alaska and Ohio.
Outside groups have since pulled up the slack in Arizona from the funding loss with $12 million amid signs the race could swing in favor of Masters. Kelly and his allies have only found $6 million in outside support for the race.
Recent polling shows Kelly is still a few points ahead of Masters.
While Republicans are expected to retake the House, the Senate is a toss-up. Democrats must either reclaim North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania or prevent Republicans from winning any of five currently-held Democrat seats: Georgia, New Hampshire, Nevada, Arizona, or Washington State.
Recent polling shows Republicans tied or leading in Nevada, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, and Georgia. In New Hampshire, Arizona, and Pennsylvania, Democrats appear to have a slight edge.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.
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