Former Trump officials Ric Grenell and Kash Patel announced they are endorsing U.S. Senate candidate in Arizona Blake Masters.
Under former President Donald Trump, Patel was the Chief of Staff to the Department of Defense, and Grenell, who is still an ally of the former president, was his Acting Director of U.S. National Intelligence and U.S. Ambassador to Germany.
Grenell had previously supported Masters’ primary opponent Jim Lamon but withdrew his support after the candidate resorted to negative and false campaign ad attacks on Masters and other conservatives.
Patel and Grenell put out this joint statement:
We had the honor of working in President Trump’s Administration. We know what America First looks like, and what kind of person is needed in Washington, DC to fight against the swamp. We are proud to join Donald J. Trump in endorsing Blake Masters, a real America First patriot. Blake is already focused on Democrat Mark Kelly in November. He is traveling Arizona talking about the border crisis, Joe Biden’s disastrous economy, high gas prices, and the Left’s takeover of our schools. We are confident that Blake Masters knows the threats that America faces, and he has the talent and the vision to take them on. That is why he has our complete endorsement.
In response, Masters said:
When it comes to putting America First, Kash and Ric know what they’re talking about. I’m honored to have their support. Republicans shouldn’t be wasting their money attacking one another. We literally can’t afford it; Kelly is going to be one of the most well-funded Democrats this cycle. He is the extension of the corrupt and despicable Clinton-Obama-Biden machine. It’s time for conservatives to unite so that we can kick Mark Kelly out of the Senate in November.
The former Trump officials’ endorsement comes roughly one month before the primary election as Masters has been raking up big-name endorsements.
Recently, Masters also received an endorsement from the former president. He called him a “great modern-day thinker” and “one of the most successful businessmen and investors in the Country.” Trump added at the time:
Blake is Strong on Border Security, in particular, the disastrous Southern Border where people are pouring into the U.S. by the millions, and destroying our Country. Blake will turn that around quickly. Additionally, he will Cut Taxes and Regulations, be Tough on Crime, and Support our Military and our Vets. Blake will fight for our totally under-siege Second Amendment, and WIN!
Additionally, ahead of Arizona’s Republican primary being held on August 2, Masters held a double-digit lead over his opponent in a Republican primary poll. Masters topped the field with 29 percent of the vote, and he had a 14-point lead on his opponent: Mark Brnovich saw 15 percent, Jim Lamon saw ten percent, and Michael McGuire saw five percent.
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.