Arizona Congressional Candidate Blake Masters criticized his Republican primary opponent Abe Hamadeh for not being married or having children, saying it shows his opponent has no “skin in the game.”
In a campaign video Published Tuesday, Masters outlined his policy goals and what his campaign called the “differences” between him and Hamadeh.
“I want to bring big tech under control, I want to stop Bidenflation, there are all these problems,” Masters said. “But the real reason – or another reason anyway – is my family. I have a wonderful wife and four beautiful boys. It’s called skin the game… what we don’t need is someone with no wife and no kids, no skin in the game.”
Later in the campaign video, Masters attempted to link Hamadeh to illegal immigration. Hamadeh, a former US Army intelligence officer, is the son of Syrian immigrants.
“We don’t need someone who supported amnesty in the past. We don’t need someone who owes their entire existence in this country to illegal immigration,” Masters said.
Masters and Hamadeh are running in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, hoping to replace Rep. Debbie Lesko (R), who announced last fall that she would not seek re-election.
The Masters campaign doubled down on its argument Wednesday after the Washington Post published an analysis comments from the candidate.
Reposting the link to the newspaper article, Masters’ campaign wrote on the social platform, “The Washington Post attacks Blake Masters for saying parents have skin in the game. When you have kids, it gives you extra motivation to create a better country for them. No one understands this better than @bgmasters.
Hamadeh hit back at Masters and highlighted the sacrifices he made while serving in the U.S. Army Reserves.
“Like countless patriots who have served our nation in uniform, I have made profound sacrifices,” Hamadeh wrote in a statement to The Hill. “Blake Masters’ attack on my commitment to America, simply because I chose service over personal life, exposes its true character – a stark contrast to the values we old-timers hold dear fighters. I am completely disgusted by his attacks, which undermine the sacrifices made by all who served. »
In a separate article onHamadeh called Masters “skilled, cowardly and easily manipulated” and argued that his opponent lacked the “courage” to serve his nation.
Masters ran for Senate in 2022 and lost to incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.). Before launching his House bid, he was thought to run for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s (I-Ariz.) seat. She has since announced she will not run for re-election.
Hamadeh ran for attorney general in 2022 against current Attorney General Kris Mayes and lost by fewer than 300 votes. He, Masters and Arizona Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake campaigned together in the 2022 elections, and Lake endorsed Hamadeh’s candidacy.
Hamadeh also has the support of former President Trump – the Republican Party…
