Republicans Score Big Win in Race for Key Senate Seat After Libertarian Candidate Exits

Republican U.S. senatorial candidate Blake Masters speaks during his election night watch party in Chandler, Arizona, on Aug. 2, 2022. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Libertarian Senate candidate Marc Victor has dropped out of the Arizona race and endorsed GOP challenger Blake Masters against incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.).

Polls have shown that the race between Kelly, a former NASA astronaut, and the former President Donald Trump-endorsed Masters is close with just a week to go before the midterm elections.

“I found Blake to be generally supportive of the Live and Let Live Global Peace Movement,” Victor said in a statement on Tuesday confirming he is dropping out of the race. “Likewise, we found ourselves in general agreement about how to improve America and advance the cause of freedom and peace. After that discussion, I believe it is in the best interests of freedom and peace to withdraw my candidacy and enthusiastically support Blake Masters for United States Senate. I intend to assist in any way reasonably possible to elect Blake.”

In polls taken since mid-October, Victor’s support ranged from 1 percent to as much as 6 percent, according to RealClearPolitics.

During the 2012 Senate race won by Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Victor took about 4.6 percent, or 102,000 votes, according to AZCentral. Democrat Richard Carmona lost to Flake by about 68,000 votes.

Former astronaut Mark Kelly speaks during a press conference in New York City with his wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.), behind him, on Oct. 17, 2016. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Kelly, meanwhile, defeated GOP incumbent Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) by about 2 percent during the 2020 election. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) defeated McSally in 2018 by just over 1 percent, data show.

Masters welcomed Victor’s endorsement and said he “joins a growing list of Arizonans from across the political spectrum who are fed up with open borders, big government corruption, and rising crime.” Before Victor’s exit, Masters appeared to be trying to draw support from Libertarian voters, having recently posted a photo of himself with former Texas Libertarian Rep. Ron Paul.

“We are building a broad coalition to defeat the worst Senator in America,” Masters said in a statement. “This is another major boost of momentum as we consolidate our support against the extreme and radical policies of Mark Kelly and Joe Biden. Live and Let Live.”

Following the announcement Tuesday, Kelly—who is the husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.)—has not issued a public statement.

During last month’s debate, Masters repeatedly accused Kelly of siding with President Joe Biden’s immigration agenda and described him as capitulating to the far-left. Last week, Kelly appeared to pivot on immigration and said Biden’s border policies have created “chaos” and “a mess.”

“I’ve been strong on border security. And I’ve stood up to Democrats when they’re wrong on this issue—including the president,” Kelly said. “When the president decided he was going to do something dumb on this and change the rules that would create a bigger crisis, I told him he was wrong. So I pushed back on this administration multiple times.”

To acquire control of the 50–50 Senate, Republicans need to have a net gain of just one seat. For the House, Republicans need to make a net gain of five seats.

The GOP is defending 21 of the 35 Senate seats that are on the ballot for the 2022 midterms. Historically, the party in the White House generally loses seats during midterm elections.

In recent weeks, polls have been looking grim for Democrats. Significant majorities of Americans who were surveyed in several polls late last month said they believe inflation or the U.S. economy are concerning or very concerning.