Blake Masters could win Arizona's drama-filled Senate race, if he does this

The D.C. press corps spills a lot of ink and pixels on Arizona elections. That’s due to the unpredictability of our purple-state politics, not to mention the curious personalities.

The 2024 battle for the U.S. Senate is no exception.

Whispers about who’s in and who’s out have dominated the political world for months, from Bisbee to the Beltway. Blake Masters’ expected entry into the race will grab even more notice for the unpredictable contest.

Why the Senate race is so unpredictable

The fight for the Senate entered uncharted territory months ago. Arizona senior Sen. Kyrsten Sinema spent much of her tenure frustrating the Democratic base with her centrist votes.

Rep. Ruben Gallego repeatedly pointed fingers and hinted he might oppose her for the nomination. Sinema made it easy by declaring her independence from the party back in December. The next month, Rep. Gallego declared his candidacy for the donkey side of the ballot.

In April, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb launched his campaign on the GOP side, as former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake dropped ample hints about her interest. But, instead of studying policy papers and healing the many wounds of her fractured state party, she chose a much different path.

Lake claimed the 2022 election was stolen, launched losing court battles, picked fights with the voters she needs to win over, and basically moved into Mar-a-Lago.

A Senate seat looks like a consolation prize if Donald Trump doesn’t choose Lake as his running mate.

Blake Masters accepted his 2022 loss

The former news anchor makes a lot of noise, but wise politicos kept their eyes on the dog that didn’t bark. One who was too busy doing his homework and building bridges.

After losing a competitive race, Blake Masters conceded instead of wasting half a year denying reality.

“I called and congratulated Mark Kelly this morning,” Masters said the next day, before pivoting to the future.

“We have to build on what works, scrap what doesn’t,” he added. “I believe in Arizona and I believe in America.”

And that was that. No angry speeches, no media blitzes, no endless court cases — he just moved on. As it turns out, he then prepared for 2024.

Another view: Arizona GOP eats its own to defend Lake

Masters began the last campaign as an unknown, allowing himself to be defined by the millions of dollars in negative ads from Sen. Mark Kelly and his Democratic allies.

There’s no doubt the newcomer had a rocky start.

With focus on Sinema, Masters could win

But Masters kept improving. He got better and better on the stump. He asked Republicans, independents and even Democrats for their vote instead of criticizing how they voted in the past.

And he certainly didn’t tell McCain voters to “get the hell out.”

Masters built a proven national fundraising base, pivoted to the center for the general and actually respected the decision made by voters.

Even if those centrist Republicans didn’t vote for Masters last time, they have no reason to hate him. He is set up perfectly to earn their vote in 2024.

Everyone expects another onslaught of negative ads from the Democrats, but this time, most will be aimed at Sinema, not the GOP nominee.

In a general election, this will divide progressive and independent votes, providing an excellent opportunity for a unifying conservative to slide in and take the prize.

I stress the word “unifying.”

Have Republicans learned this lesson?

What’s needed is a candidate who seeks the votes of all Republicans, whether “America First” or McCain maverick. Bashing “other kinds of Republicans” might win a primary, but it will be death in the general.

Alienate one group or the other, and a big chunk of voters will support Sinema or just stay home.

The last election should have taught GOP voters that much. One hopes.

Jon Gabriel, a Mesa resident, is editor-in-chief of Ricochet.com and a contributor to The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. On Twitter: @exjon.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Blake Masters could win Arizona's US Senate race. Here's how