In Arizona, Libertarian Senate candidate Marc Victor announced that he would be ending his campaign. He called on supporters to support GOP nominee Blake Masters, who is currently locked in a toss-up race with incumbent democrat Senator Mark Kelly.
Victor, an attorney who was polling well behind the major party candidates, held a discussion with Masters on Monday. After that, the libertarian candidate decided that throwing his support behind Masters was the best way to properly serve his supporters.
“At my invitation, Blake Masters and I had an unscripted, open, and recorded discussion and exchange of ideas on a variety of issues,” Victor said in a written statement. Discussion topics ranged from tax policy, the federal reserve and same-sex marriage, he said.
“I found Blake to be generally supportive of the Live and Let Live Global Peace Movement. Likewise, we found ourselves in general agreement about how to improve America and to advance the cause of freedom and peace,” Victor’s statement continued. After that discussion, I believe it is in the best interests of freedom and peace to withdraw my candidacy and enthusiastically support Blake Masters for United States Senate. I intend to assist in any way reasonably possible to elect Blake.”
JUST IN: Libertarian @Victor4Senate withdraws and endorses @bgmasters for U.S. Senate in Arizona pic.twitter.com/0BQ9A5DpLR
— Blake Masters for U.S. Senate Press (@MastersPress) November 1, 2022
“Marc Victor joins a growing list of Arizonans from across the political spectrum who are fed up with open borders, big government corruption, and rising crime,” Masters wrote in a statement of his own. “We are building a broad coalition to defeat the worst Senator in America. This is another major boost of momentum as we consolidate our support against the extreme and radical policies of Mark Kelly and Joe Biden.”
It remains to be seen how much of an effect the libertarian candidate’s exit and subsequent endorsement of Blake Masters will have on the race, though it would appear to only have positive effects for the GOP hopeful. With that said, mail-in voting has been well underway in Arizona, meaning that plenty of ballots have already been cast for Victor.
The Masters campaign is sure to take any bump it can get, however, as RealClearPolitics currently classifies the race as a “toss-up” with less than 10 days to go.
Support for Marc Victor has been polled from 1% to 6% and averaged about 3% in polls taken since mid-October, AZ Central reported.