Republicans worry Kari Lake and Blake Masters will lose Arizona Senate race again in 2024

The newly Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema will be up for re-election in 2024, and her Arizona seat is drawing the attention of Democrats and Republicans alike. Some GOP leaders and operatives fear that Kari Lake and Blake Masters, losers in their 2022 contests for governor and Senate, respectively, may bungle the party's chance with this prime pick-up once again if they run for Sinema's seat.

Masters, a wealthy businessman turned GOP Senate candidate, challenged incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., in one of the most watched races of the 2022 midterm elections. Masters closely aligned himself to former President Trump throughout the race but ultimately came up short in the general, losing to Kelly by 5 percentage points. 

Republicans were hoping for a viable GOP candidate to win the contest by a plurality with Sinema and Democratic candidate Rep. Ruben Gallego splitting the ticket, but talk of Masters and Lake considering their own runs is sparking concern.