For Immediate Release
Saturday, May 14, 2022
Contact: Hannah Goss, hgoss@azdem.org
Senate Showdown: A Week of Puppets, Pandering, and Problematic Positions
PHOENIX — Welcome to this week’s edition of the ‘Senate Showdown’ — a weekly roundup of the latest news in Arizona’s “crowded,” “costly,” and “chaotic” GOP Senate primary.
With “no clear frontrunner,” these amateur candidates will be busy duking it out well into the summer, ahead of Arizona’s August primary date. Until then, the Arizona Democratic Party’s ‘Showdown’ is here to help you keep track of this race’s breaking news, cringiest Tweets, and nastiest doses of infighting.
Here’s what you missed this week:
PUPPET MASTERS: On Friday, Jim Lamon launched his first negative ad of the cycle, attacking Masters for his Peter Thiel dependence, labeling him “the puppet of California Big Tech,” and even including an off-brand puppet to represent his rival on screen. Good luck refuting that one, Blake— if you walk like a duck, talk like a duck…
BLAKE WANTS A BAN: Blake Masters made national headlines this week for his extreme plan to institute a nationwide ban on abortion. The last thing we need is more men policing our bodies — especially when they’re 35-year-old California tech bros pushing cruel policy simply because they think can.
THAT’S RICH: Multimillionaire Jim Lamon — known for cutting his campaign million-dollar checks and buying up endorsements across Arizona — caught attention for his cruel plan to raise the retirement age and privatize Social Security. It’s giving failed, McConnell conservatism turned out-of-touch businessman ego trip with a side of 1.3 million Arizona seniors who absolutely will not be on board.
NOW WE’RE CRABBY: NBC News ran footage of Blake Masters arguing that the gender pay gap does not exist and saying men make more simply because they do the “most dangerous jobs” like “you know, fishing crab in Alaska.” Okay, Blake.
BRNO ON BLAST: Jim Lamon attacked “Do-nothing” Mark Brnovich for his “anti-Arizona” priorities and Arizona Republic columnist Robert Robb piled on, writing that Brnovich’s “irresponsible” interim report was merely “a document to assist his U.S. Senate campaign, not something appropriate coming from his AG office.”
HIDE AND SEEK: Both Lamon and Brnovich stood up the Sun Lakes Republican Club on Wednesday night — continuing their clear pattern of bailing on Arizona voters. Meanwhile, Masters spent the night with Tucker Carlson, stroking his ego and trying (and failing) to spin his recent wave of bad press, including reports that he promoted a Nazi leader and pushed to restrict birth control access.
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