TL/DR –
Republican candidate Blake Masters is reviving conservative campaign arguments while running for a congressional seat in Arizona’s Republican-friendly 8th Congressional District. During his Senate campaign in 2022, Masters softened his positions on issues like abortion and immigration, but has since returned to his original stance. He argues these shifts are a matter of tone, not substantive policy changes.
Blake Masters Revisits Conservative Arguments in Congressional Race
Republican Blake Masters is reinvoking conservative campaign arguments as he runs for a congressional seat in a Republican-dominated district. Masters aims to succeed retiring Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., in the 8th Congressional District. Masters contends that the differences lie in his “tone” rather than significant policy shifts.
During his 2022 Senate campaign, Masters moderated several positions on his website after securing his party’s nomination. Among other changes, he removed several points supporting stricter abortion legislation and instead voiced support for a third-trimester federal ban. He also eliminated controversial language related to immigration.
By contrast, in a recent debate with other Republican candidates, Masters expressed support for federal abortion restrictions as early as 12 or 15 weeks and reiterated his previously omitted stance on immigration.
Updating positions on major issues between election cycles is unusual for candidates. Masters likens the changes to tweaks in a stump speech, the quick pitch to voters delivered on the campaign trail.
Blake Masters’ Stance on Abortion Rights
In the 2022 Senate race, Masters’ website boasted his staunchly pro-life policy platform. After winning the primary, Masters removed or edited several of these points. His new website stated that he supports a third-trimester abortion ban and creating programs that make it easier for families to support a new child.
At a recent debate, Masters indicated his support for an even stricter federal law. “We’ll do the best we can at the federal level, whether it’s a 15-week or 12-week, whatever we can get passed,” Masters said when asked about abortion. He also defended a remark in which he called abortion-rights activists “demonic.”
Masters insists that his positions are not inconsistent. He wrote in a follow-up statement that his consistency on the issue “seems so clear that I regard any suggestion to the contrary as being made in bad faith for partisan reasons.”
Reviving Controversial Immigration Rhetoric
At the recent debate, Masters also revived rhetoric on immigration he once removed from his website. During his 2022 Senate campaign, he promoted the factually dubious claim that Democrats aim to diminish the political power of current U.S. citizens, which resembled the controversial Great Replacement Theory.
After the primary, Masters removed this sentence from his website. In the Feb. 20 debate, he brought it up again during his opening remarks. “The Dems are trying to replace you. They’re trying to steal your vote by diluting you with millions of third-world, illegal aliens,” Masters said.
Masters argued that these shifts were a matter of emphasis and that his views on the topic have not changed. “I think history has backed me up on this: I’m always outspoken. I’m very conservative, some people thought too conservative to win the swing state of Arizona, statewide. I’ve never shied away from my extremely conservative, right-wing views,” he said.
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