Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis delivered to your inbox
Get our free Inside Washington email
Defeated Trump-backed Blake Masters blamed Mitch McConnell for his loss in Arizona and accused him of “meanness” or “gross incompetence.” The Republican nominee was defeated by incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly in a race announced by The Associated Press on Friday night. The victory for Mr Kelly gave his party 49 seats in the Senate and needed just one more seat to secure a majority in the US Senate with Nevada and the Georgia runoff still in play. Mr. Masters was interviewed by the right-wing Fox News host Tucker Carlson and asked why Mr. McConnell, the Senate minority leader, had “avoided” the Arizona race. “I’ll leave it to the viewer to decide whether it’s just malice or gross incompetence,” replied Mr. Masters. “But clearly Mitch McConnell cares about Mitch McConnell and less about his Senate majority or the American people. I think we need a change, that’s why I ran, and one way or another change is coming.” Mr Masters on Saturday refused to concede the race saying he wanted to “ensure that every legitimate vote is counted”. “If, in the end, Senator Kelly has more of them than I do, then I’ll congratulate him on a hard-fought victory. But the voters decide, not the media. let’s count the votes,” Mr. Masters said. 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 address the important challenges we face.”
