With unofficial 2022 midterm election results putting U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly [D-Arizona] 125,642 votes ahead of his Republican challenger, Blake Masters, 1,306,920 votes to 1,181,278 votes as of Tuesday, Nov. 15, or 51.4% to 46.5% Masters called Kelly and conceded this race this morning, according to a statement posted to Twitter.
The race means Democrats hold a 50-49 majority in the U.S. Senate. A runoff election in Georgia between U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock [D] and Republican challenger Herschel Walker will determine if Democrats have a 51-49 majority or a 50-50 split, in which case, Vice President Kamala Harris, as president of the Senate, will be the tie-breaking vote, when needed.
As a Democrat, Harris gives the Democrats a de facto majority in the chamber.
“I called and congratulated Mark Kelly this morning,” Masters said. “There were obviously a lot of problems with this election, but there is no path forward in my race.
“To the thousands of people who helped on my campaign, who made calls, knocked doors, wrote postcards, donated, and hosted events — thank you,” Masters stated. “To every patriot who voted — thank you. And I especially want to thank my incredible wife Catherine, my parents, and my boys. The campaign trail is not easy for families.”
Masters subsequently stated, “We cannot afford to have another election cycle like these midterms. Republicans are the underdogs now. I was outspent by over $70 million. That’s what happens when you take on the national [Democratic] machine, the media, the universities, Big Tech and woke corporations.”
“So Republicans need to start thinking like underdogs,” Masters stated. “No more consultant one-size-fits-all strategies. We have to build on what works, scrap what doesn’t. The vast majority of people agree this country is headed in the wrong direction — we have to reach them. I believe in Arizona and I believe in America. We can still save our home. We just have to fight harder and smarter — because we’re running out of time.”
The Kelly campaign has not officially made a statement about the concession as of press time. However, on Saturday, Nov. 12, he spoke to his supporters. This is a transcript of his remarks:
“It’s fantastic to be here today, and after, you know, more votes have been counted, you know, it’s clear that we’ve been successful in this mission.”
“I’m so honored that Arizona has entrusted me to represent our state in the United States Senate for six more years.”
“And I’d like to thank my family, my friends, my campaign team, and the tens of thousands of people over the past few years who have made phone calls, who have knocked on doors, who have chipped in a few bucks and worked late nights and early mornings.”
“To the thousands of people who helped on my campaign, who made calls, knocked doors, wrote postcards, donated, and hosted events — thank you,” Masters stated. “To every patriot who voted — thank you. And I especially want to thank my incredible wife Catherine, my parents, and my boys. The campaign trail is not easy for families.”
Masters subsequently stated, “We cannot afford to have another election cycle like these midterms. Republicans are the underdogs now. I was outspent by over $70 million. That’s what happens when you take on the national [Democratic] machine, the media, the universities, Big Tech and woke corporations.”
“So Republicans need to start thinking like underdogs,” Masters stated. “No more consultant one-size-fits-all strategies. We have to build on what works, scrap what doesn’t. The vast majority of people agree this country is headed in the wrong direction — we have to reach them. I believe in Arizona and I believe in America. We can still save our home. We just have to fight harder and smarter — because we’re running out of time.”
“You are all the reason that we are successful.”
“And I also want to thank our state’s election officials, honorable Republicans and Democrats, who are doing the important work of making sure that Arizonans’ votes and voices are heard, their votes are counted as quickly and as transparently as possible.”
“Now, after a long election, it can be tempting to remain focused on the things that divide us.”
“But we’ve seen the consequences that come when leaders refuse to accept the truth and focus more on conspiracies of the past than solving the challenges that we face today.”
“And for the past two years, as we face these challenges, there has not been a day, not a day has gone by where I have not remembered that I am sitting in the Senate seat of Sen. John McCain.”
“Sen. McCain embodied everything it was to be a leader and at a time when our state and our country remain divided, his legacy, his legacy of building bridges and focusing on Arizona is an example of what we all should do and what we should look to, especially because while we face serious challenges, we also know that when we come together and focus on solutions, we can make progress.”
“After politicians caved time and time again to Big Pharma, we finally beat them, and we’re now lowering the cost of prescription drugs for seniors, and after politicians failed to respond to mass shooting after horrible mass shooting, Republicans and Democrats came together and passed a gun-safety and mental-health law and after decades of politicians saying that they’d bring manufacturing back to America, we are finally doing it …
“… The way to solve these problems isn’t by pointing fingers, it’s not by dividing people, it’s by listening and finding common ground and as we see, in the results here in Arizona and across the country this week, no one party has a monopoly on good ideas or the support of voters.”
“But I have seen that when we seek to represent everyone, not just the people who voted for us, we’re capable of extraordinary things and nowhere is that more true than here in Arizona, a state that is defined by our toughness, by our work ethic, by the different places we all come from in pursuit of the same dreams for our families.”
“Centuries ago, the Hohokam people dug canals in the dry valley floor, irrigating their crops to thrive in the desert. Today, in the view of these same canals, we’re building facilities that will manufacture the most advanced microchips ever made.”
“That’s who we are, and that’s where we’re heading, but only if we stick together. So, to Arizonans, my commitment to you remains the same. I will always be honest with you. I will always put our state ahead of politics. And I will always work to find common ground and deliver results that move Arizona forward. Thank you so much.”
