For Immediate Release
Friday, July 29, 2022
Contact: Hannah Goss, hgoss@azdem.org
Arizona Republic: Masters and Lamon Look to “Cut the Knot” on Social Security
The Leading #AZSen Candidates Have Called to Privatize the Program
PHOENIX — This morning, the Arizona Republic published a rundown of the GOP Senate primary candidates’ positions on Social Security, highlighting the true risk they pose to the 1.35 million Arizonans who rely on the program and including new audio of Masters doubling down on his plan to privatize.
For months, Blake Masters and Jim Lamon have called to upend the program. At last month’s debate, Masters called to privatize Social Security, adding that he would “cut the knot” and slash benefits. Lamon still touts his plan to privatize Social Security and raise the retirement age on his campaign website, which he says resembles Rick Scott’s plan to sunset Social Security and Medicare, calling it “pretty good stuff.”
See below for key excerpts or read the full piece here:
- Republican Senate hopeful Blake Masters raised eyebrows during a June candidate forum when he said he favored privatizing Social Security for younger Americans.
- “We’ve got to cut the knot at some point though, because I’ll tell you what, I’m not going to receive Social Security,” Masters said. “We need fresh and innovative thinking. Maybe we should privatize Social Security. Private retirement accounts, get the government out of it.”
- After a second candidate forum this month, Masters told a teenager that saying Social Security wouldn’t be around in the future will get you “crucified.” … “But for young people should we hesitate to like think about new savings programs that they can actually rely on? No.”
- In a January interview with Tucson’s KVOI (1030 AM), Lamon hinted that entitlement spending would tumble if he had his way. “Entitlements — ‘Oh Jim, you’re going to take those?’ You’re damn right, because that’s where the money is,” he said.
- On the campaign trail, Lamon praised an 11-point plan put forward in February by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and said it was “pretty detailed with pretty good stuff.”
- The plan, which would have created new income tax liability for America’s poorest workers, flopped with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
- In May, Lamon fired back at Arizona Democrats, who said he would privatize Social Security and raise the retirement age [as it says on his campaign website].
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