Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake quickly endorsed Blake Masters’s GOP primary opponent after Masters announced a run for Arizona’s 8th District on Thursday.
“Abe lived and went to three schools in the district, and he’s running for Congress in Arizona’s 8th District to give back to the community that made him the man he is today. I’m proud to call Abe a friend, and honored to give him my endorsement for the United States Congress,” Lake said in a press release.
I’m HONORED to have Kari Lake’s endorsement in this race. We’ve never seen a fighter like Kari and I look forward to working with her to Make America Great Again. While others catered to the establishment and hid after the election we continue to fight like hell for Arizona. #AZ8 pic.twitter.com/LfZGW2dbv2
— Abe Hamadeh (@AbrahamHamadeh) October 26, 2023
Speculation swirled in September that Lake and Masters would be competing for the Republican nomination for the senate seat currently held by Democrat-turned-Independent Krysten Sinema. Former President Donald Trump allegedly intervened in the race, telling Masters he could not win against Lake, according to The New York Times. (RELATED: Kari Lake Officially Launches Bid For US Senate)
Lake, Masters and Hamadeh have a history of cooperating and campaigning together. Lake and Masters appeared in numerous events together during her race for governor and Masters’s bid for senate in 2022, and Hamadeh appeared in several events with the duo while campaigning for Attorney General.
WATCH: Kari Lake’s Arizona First “Get Out The Vote” Rally Featuring Blake Masters and Abe Hamadeh https://t.co/P7FsYwYMzL
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) November 6, 2022
Trump was quick to endorse Lake when she announced her run for the Senate. However, the 45th president has not yet made an endorsement for Arizona’s 8th. The introduction of Hamadeh into the race makes an increasingly crowded field where Masters was already competing against State Senator Anthony Kern for the seat soon to be vacated by retiring Congresswoman Debbie Lesko. (RELATED: Republican Arizona Rep. Debbie Lesko Announces She Will Not Be Seeking Reelection)