Controversy continues to swirl around the still-ongoing Arizona midterm elections. Reported results wildly different from poll predictions and a series of major irregularities on Election Day have raised questions about the honesty and safety of Arizona elections. In fact, a new survey from Election Integrity Network polled almost half of the state’s volunteer attorneys, poll watchers, and election workers with the result that 84.38% of respondents from Maricopa County said they were “not at all” confident in the election’s outcomes, while volunteer attorneys reported evidence that contradicted election officials’ statements. Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake announced the formation of a legal team to challenge the election and Republican Secretary of State candidate Mark Finchem has refused to concede. But Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters called his Democrat opponent, Mark Kelly, and “congratulated” him. Masters still deplores the election crisis in Arizona, however, and I sat down with him today to ask him a couple questions about his apparent concession to Kelly and what he thinks needs to happen in Arizona going forward.
Catherine Salgado: My first question, which I’ve heard a lot of people asking, is why did you concede when you did? What were your reasons?
Blake Masters: Well, I just acknowledged that Mark Kelly’s going to get sworn in as the next senator, unless we find some bombshell evidence that would change that. So there’s nothing formal about that. And I’m still huddling with the lawyers all the time, looking for angles, but I just don’t think at this point, with the margin in my race, there’s any legal way to change what we feel the outcome is going to be.
Related: Finally! Arizona Attorney General Launches Inquiry Into Maricopa County Election Day Fiasco
Catherine Salgado: What is your opinion on what should happen in regard to the craziness that went on in Maricopa County elections?
Blake Masters: I think every Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, every supervisor should lose their job. They had one job, which is to run a clean election, and they failed to do that. Look, I’m — if you’re charitable, you’ll say it’s just gross incompetence — they did not do their job. I’m not going to ascribe any ill intent to it, although a lot of people look at that, and it seems intentional to a lot of people. But I think the right to vote is sacred in this country, and a lot of people — especially Republicans — were going to show up on Election Day to cast their vote. These people deserve to be able to cast their vote without waiting hours and hours in line, without the machines failing, so at the best, you can say it was gross incompetence. And I think if the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors had any honor, they would resign.
Thank you to Blake Masters for his time!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member