AZ-SEN 2024: Away we Gallego (3/5 - Sinema OUT)

[oldtimer]

I almost can't believe Sinema running as indie and seeing any "path to victory". There is none. Zero. You must suffer from a special kind of delusion to assume this.

If she wasn't such an attention seeker, she could have been a favorite for reelection by just voting like her colleague Mark Kelly.

I agree.

Few have any respect for those elected under false pretenses.

[oldtimer]

I was probably one of the biggest Masters boosters, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but I think with a year of hindsight that he’s both underrated and overrated as a candidate here.

I think his chances are underrated in that I still don’t buy the initial narrative that he lost because he was some sort of exceptionally off-putting person with unfixable flaws. I think most people understated Kelly’s strength, and Masters raised almost no money in the general with absolutely no base of support outside Thiel. But overrated because the inability to raise money or support is an absolutely fatal flaw if he can’t fix it.

As someone with some lingering sympathy for him, I wouldn’t advise a run here, since two strikes is probably the ballgame and his flaws can’t be overcome so quickly. This is probably the end for him.

How can anyone be a Masters booster after his terrible social security policy and terrible debate performances ?

The Libertarian actually did a better campaign in Arizona than Masters.

[oldtimer]

https://twitter.com/rpyers/status/1713010589029793853
Not a great quarter for an incumbent senator in a marquee race. The COH number is good but I think most of that was raised before she went independent.

I think she's more than likely to retire and live off her leftover campaign cash or start some foundation to keep her relevant. COH is not really that impressive when you figure she is not getting any super PAC helping her out. Both sides spent like $50M each last year in AZ.

If she's going to retire, why did she file to run for reelection?

The only person with the answer to that is the woman herself. I have maintained for a long time now that she is trying to suck money out of Very Serious People so she has something to live off of before she ends up flogging her inevitable book on Fox News and then starts crying about the 'lack of civility' in politics.

Candidates can't just keep the money in their campaign treasuries for personal use.

Ta dah:

https://rollcall.com/2021/12/08/taking-it-with-them-members-leaving-with-money-in-the-bank/

"The phrase “you can’t take it with you” doesn’t apply to departing members of Congress."

[oldtimer]

What's the chatter this week about Jeff DeWitt attempting to bribe Lake to drop out of the race?

There’s a recording of him repeatedly telling Lake that very powerful people on the East Coast want her gone. He asks her not to run and instead take a corporate gig, where she can presumably do nothing and get paid millions. He even outright asks her her price, LOL. It’s a very, very odd recording. I wondered if it was a deepfake, but it seems to be real?

The best part is when DeWitt suggests that he has no power, that “they” do and if he crosses them, he jokes his car will explode when he tries to turn it on one day.

You’d think he would just say Kari, you lost a very winnable race and now people are doubtful you can do it. Sail away into the sunset. But instead it becomes very conspiratorial (maybe he’s just trying to meet her where she is and mirror her language?).

Either way, great conspiracy fodder. You have to approach it knowing that Kari is performing, like always, aware that she’s recording this.

DeWitt reminds me of this stupid negotiation: