Blake Masters, the Republican nominee for Senate in Arizona, says he is “prepared to be a thorn in the side” of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) if he is elected.
Masters, who is running against Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly (Ariz.), said in an interview with the Daily Mail that he sees Arizona Sen. Krysten Sinema (D) as an example of being willing to hold on principle to get desired legislation.
In an evenly divided 50-50 Senate with Democrats having the tiebreaking vote in Vice President Harris, Sinema has often had extensive power in the chances of a bill’s success as one of the most moderate Democrats in Congress.
Masters said Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) “owns” Kelly but does not own Sinema.
He said he is prepared to block legislation until the southern border with Mexico is secure.
“I’m not going to try to make his life miserable for the sake of it,” he said, referring to McConnell. “But I’m going to be happy to be independent.”
Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection released last month showed more than 2.76 million people illegally crossed the southern border last fiscal year, a new record.
Masters pledged to “not vote for a single thing” that President Biden wants until border security is enhanced. He said this includes any funding or judicial nominees.
“It’s like, I’d rather have gridlock than just tolerate the crazy that Joe Biden is doing to us,” he said.
Masters said he expects he will be able to work with Sinema, and the two of them representing Arizona would accurately reflect where the state is at.
The race between Kelly and Masters has tightened as Election Day has gotten closer — particularly after third-party candidate Marc Victor dropped out and endorsed Masters — but most polls show Kelly with a narrow lead.
A New York Times-Siena College poll released Monday showed Kelly up by 6 points, while a Fox News poll released Tuesday had him up by only 2.