Blake Masters may get big boost after all from GOP in Arizona Senate race

Arizona Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters could see a last-minute cash infusion into his campaign against Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly just weeks before Election Day.

Billionaire venture capitalist and GOP mega-donor Peter Thiel has offered to make a multimillion-dollar donation to the GOP challenger if the super PAC aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will match the funds, according to Axios.

The race is one of several that Republicans are eyeing as a potential pick-up opportunity in their party’s quest for a net gain of one seat to retake the chamber.

The potential cash influx for Mr. Masters would mark a reversal for Mr. Thiel and the McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), both of whom had all but abandoned the race because of Mr. Kelly’s consistent lead in the polls.

That has left the Senate GOP campaign arm, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, to pick up the slack with an undisclosed “seven-figure investment.”

Asked for comment, Mr. McConnell’s office directed The Washington Times to the SLF, which did not immediately respond.

SLF said Thursday that it hauled in $111 million during the third quarter, bringing its total midterm fundraising to $221.4 million.

Election forecasters rate the Arizona Senate race “Lean Democratic,” with Mr. Kelly’s lead averaging 4.5 percentage points in recent polls.

The incumbent Democrat is also far outraising Mr. Masters, bringing in $54 million with nearly $25 million in the bank as of mid-July.

That’s compared to Mr. Masters’ $5 million raised and just $1.5 million cash on hand as of Sept. 26.