Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s PAC has pulled millions of its ad dollars out of Arizona, leaving Blake Masters to fend for himself ahead of the November election.
The Senate Leadership Fund, McConnell’s powerful PAC, will pull $8 million out of Arizona, underscoring the anti-establishment nature of Trump-endorsed Masters’s insurgent campaign against Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly.
The news, broken by Politico, comes amid an ongoing feud between McConnell and 45th President Donald Trump, who heavily supported Masters during the primary. Polls currently show Masters behind Kelly, and the incumbent Democrat has raised $40 million compared to Masters’ $18 million.
Senate Republicans' primary super PAC is canceling nearly $10 million in ad reservations, raising questions about the party’s commitment to Blake Masters, its Senate nominee in the Copper State. https://t.co/6MALS6T1uU
— Politics Arizona (@PoliticsArizona) August 26, 2022
Kelly has benefited from the Democratic machine in Arizona while serving the remainder of John McCain’s term in office, and is made more popular by his previous career as an astronaut, though his complete adherence to Joe Biden’s agenda combined with an energized electorate has some pundits convinced the Masters campaign will still be victorious.
The powerful Senate Republican’s PAC, The Senate Leadership Fund, “is one way McConnell has been able to maintain his position as GOP Senate leader for so long,” reported PJ Media. “His PAC has handed out tens of millions of dollars to Republican candidates, which is a lot of incentive to support him,” the outlet explained.
Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell in 2019 / Trump White House
While Trump and many of his Republican supporters seem to be cautiously optimistic about retaking Congress this November, McConnell has repeatedly warned that Republicans may only see modest victories in the House and the Senate remain in Democrat control.
Trump has feuded with McConnell since leaving the White House in 2021, and recently called for Senate Republicans to replace the 80-year-old statesman.
“The Democrats have Mitch McConnell and his lovely wife, Elaine ‘Coco’ Chao, over a barrel,” Trump declared in a Truth Social post. “He and she will never be prosecuted, as per the last paragraphs of this story, as long as he continues to give the Radical Left the Trillions and Trillions of Dollars that they constantly DEMAND.”
“A new Republican leader in the Senate must be picked immediately,” Trump declared.
McConnell’s wife, Chinese shipping heiress Elaine Chao, reportedly interviewed with the January 6 committee earlier this month.
