Defeated Trump-backed Blake Masters blames McConnell for his loss accusing him of ‘malice’ or ‘gross incompetence’
Mark Kelly’s win gave Democrats 49 seats, just one shy of retaining a US Senate majority
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Defeated Trump-backed Blake Masters has blamed Mitch McConnell for his defeat in Arizona and accused him of “malice” or “gross incompetence.”
The Republican candidate was beaten by incumbent Democratic Senator Mark Kelly in a race called by the Associated Press on Friday night.
The win for Mr Kelly gave his party 49 Senate seats and needing just one more seat to secure a US Senate majority with Nevada and the Georgia run-off still in play.
Mr Masters was interviewed by right-wing host Tucker Carlson on Fox News and asked why Mr McConnell, the Senate minority leader, had “avoided” the Arizona race.
“I will leave it to the viewer to decide whether it is just malice or whether it is gross incompetence,” replied Mr Masters.
Midterm elections – live: Democrats win Arizona Senate race as Biden says House hopes ‘still alive’
Republicans are finally turning against Trump. But will it last?US midterms: What happened and what does it mean?
What US election results mean for the future of Ukraine aid
Trump planning primetime announcement for 2024 run despite allies pleading with him to hold off
“But clearly Mitch McConnell cares about Mitch McConnell and less about his Senate majority or the people of America. I think we need a change, that’s why I ran for office and one way or another change is coming.”
Mr Masters on Saturday refused to concede the race saying that he wanted to “make sure that every legal vote is counted.”
Blake Masters blames Mitch McConnell
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) November 12, 2022
pic.twitter.com/T2PGkNller
“If, at the end, Senator Kelly has more of them than I do, then I will congratulate him on a hard-fought victory. But voters decide, not the media; let’s count the votes,” said Mr Masters.
Mr Kelly, a former astronaut, ran as a moderate Democrat and distanced himself from the White House on issues such as immigration.
“Thank you to the people of Arizona for re-electing me to the United States Senate,” Mr Kelly said in a statement.
“From day one, this campaign has been about the many Arizonans – Democrats, Independents, and Republicans – who believe in working together to tackle the significant challenges we face.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments