Cruz slams McConnell for ‘abandoning’ Blake Masters in Arizona

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Monday slammed Senate Minority Chief Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for “abandoning” GOP nominee Blake Masters within the Arizona Senate race, accusing him of placing private politics over the wants of the get together.  

Cruz is amongst a handful of GOP senators who’ve referred to as to postpone the Senate Republican management elections scheduled for Wednesday.

“Abandoning Blake Masters was indefensible,” Cruz stated on his podcast, “Verdict,” referring to a call by the Senate Management Fund, a brilliant PAC affiliated with McConnell, to tug out of the Arizona Senate race.   

Requested why the McConnell-allied group pulled out of the race, Cruz stated it was as a result of Masters vowed throughout the major to not assist McConnell for one more time period as chief.  

“As a result of Masters stated he would vote in opposition to Mitch McConnell. And so Mitch would somewhat be chief than have a Republican majority. If there’s a Republican who can win who’s not going to assist Mitch, the reality of the matter is he’d somewhat the Democrat win,” Cruz stated.  

Masters stated throughout the Arizona major that he would assist Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) or Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) to interchange McConnell as chief.  

“I’ll inform Mitch this to his face,” Masters stated throughout a major debate in June. “He’s not unhealthy at every part. He’s good at judges. He’s good at blocking Democrats. You recognize what he’s not good at? Legislating.”  

Masters, who misplaced to Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), stated Friday that he might have gained the race and given Republicans an opportunity of recapturing the Senate if McConnell had put more cash into his race.  

“The individuals who management the purse strings, Senate Management Fund, Mitch McConnell — McConnell determined to spend hundreds of thousands of {dollars} attacking a fellow Republican in Alaska as a substitute of serving to me defeat Sen. Mark Kelly,” he stated on Fox Information’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” referring to the cash spent to defend Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) from a Trump-backed challenger.

“Had he chosen to spend cash in Arizona, this race could be over [and] we’d be celebrating a Senate majority proper now,” he claimed.  

Even when Republicans had gained the Arizona seat, nonetheless, they might nonetheless have to win the Georgia Senate runoff to manage the chamber subsequent yr.  

Cruz final week referred to as for the management elections to be delayed till the Georgia runoff on Dec. 6.  

“It is unnecessary for Senate to have management elections earlier than GA runoff. We don’t but know whether or not we’ll have a majority & Herschel Walker deserves a say in our management,” he tweeted, referring to the Republican nominee difficult Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) in Georgia.  

McConnell instructed reporters Monday afternoon that he feels assured about successful reelection to serve one other time period as GOP chief.  

“After all,” he stated when requested whether or not he had sufficient votes.  

No Senate Republican has introduced plans to problem McConnell for the highest management job.