Venture capitalist and GOP megadonor Peter Thiel put an additional $3.5 million into the super PAC supporting Blake Masters for his run in Arizona’s competitive Republican Senate primary, according to the Washington Post.
The additional $3.5 million into the super PAC supporting Masters, Saving Arizona, would bring his total to $13.5 million invested in the race for the Republican candidate. Thiel initially gave Saving Arizona $10 million over a year ago when it started to support Masters, a friend and former employee of the mega-donor.
The Post report of Thiel’s cash injection occurs as Breitbart News exclusively reported that Masters took a clear lead in the polls for the U.S. Senate primary, edging past Attorney General Mark Brnovich and businessman Jim Lamon.
The poll was conducted for Saving Arizona, the same super PAC that reportedly received Thiel’s extra $3.5 million. The poll showed Masters with a four-point lead ahead of his two opponents. Masters showed 22 percent in the survey against Brnovich and Lamon, who both showed 18 percent. The poll had a 3.46 percent margin of error and showed other candidates, Mick McGuire, with seven percent, and Justin Olson with two percent — 34 percent were undecided.
The Venture capitalist reportedly increased his initial seed money for the super PAC after J.D. Vance’s May 3 primary victory in the Ohio Republican Senate primary.
Thiel similarly funded a super PAC supporting Vance with $10 million, which received an additional $3.5 million after securing an endorsement from former President Donald Trump — an endorsement Masters is also vying for — and another $1.5 million in the final days of the primary. Vance, like Masters, is also a friend and former employee of Thiel.
Following Vance’s win, Thiel and Trump spoke on the phone about the win, according to a person who talked to the Post under the condition of anonymity. In his time helping his friends and former employees, Thiel has been able to accompany both candidates during their respective meetings with the former president.
“People close to Masters say the money helps make him viable, and provides a symbolic boost, but is nowhere near as consequential as what Trump decides to do,” the Post stated. The winner of the Republican primary would go on to face Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) in November.
Thiel, the first major investor in Facebook, which has since rebranded as “Meta,” recently stepped down from the board of directors for the social media giant to focus on supporting Republican political candidates in 2022 midterms, such as Vance and Masters.
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.
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