Former President Trump backed away from an earlier endorsement in a contentious Arizona House primary on Sunday, opting to give his “complete and total” support to both candidates.
Trump previously endorsed Abe Hamadeh for Arizona’s 8th District GOP primary against Blake Masters — both of whom ran unsuccessful statewide races in 2022 — but hedged his bets by also throwing his weight behind Masters in a Social Posting the Truth early Sunday.
Trump said there are “two spectacular America First candidates” in the race, listing praise for both Masters and Hamadeh.
“They will both be spectacular and I am pleased to announce that both Blake Masters and Abe Hamadeh have my full and complete endorsement to be the next Congressman from Arizona’s 8th Congressional District,” he continued. “They won’t let you down!”
Hamadeh and Masters have become rivals since running together for office in 2022, Hamadeh for attorney general and Masters for Senate.
The July 30 primary is expected to be down to the wire among candidates.
Trump’s move comes after he added Senator J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) to his ticket as his vice presidential candidate. Vance’s 2022 election was financed primarily by technology billionaire Peter Thiel, who was also the main funder of Masters’ campaign.
Both Vance and Masters have close ties to Thiel, although Masters has tried to distance himself from the mega-donor in recent days.
Trump endorsed Masters in the 2022 Senate race, which he lost to Sen. Mark Kelly (D).
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
