Two candidates backed by President Trump are set to face off at the ballot box in an unusual race on Tuesday, and both men told the Daily Caller News Foundation they're ecstatic to have the former president's endorsement.

Blake Masters, who is running for U.S. Senate in 2022, and Abe Hamadeh, who is running for state attorney general in 2022, are competing for the Republican nomination for Congress in Arizona's 8th Congressional District, which represents the Phoenix suburbs and is currently held by outgoing Republican Rep. Debbie Lesko. Trump has announced his endorsement of Masters. both At the beginning of candidate weekend To support Hamade in December 2023.

“I'm honored to have President Trump's endorsement again, which makes me the only candidate in the race that has the endorsement of the entire Trump-Vance team. Not only has President Trump endorsed me, but so has my future running mate, J.D. Vance, and I think that's pretty awesome,” Masters told DCNF. “I don't expect anything, right? I think Trump's endorsement is an honor to have, and as a candidate, you have to control what you can control. What I can control is working hard every day and going out there and articulating and promoting and defending Trump's America First agenda, and that's what I've been doing. I was obviously happy to have Trump's endorsement in 2022, and now I'm thrilled to have him again, a little later in the race.”

Before being selected as Trump's running mate, Ohio Republican Sen. J.D. Vance had endorsed Masters for the 2023 election. according to To the Arizona Republic.

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“Typically, a candidate who is endorsed by Trump should be able to win by 20 points after eight or nine months, but Abe clearly couldn't do that, so I think people saw a lot of weakness in his candidacy,” Masters told DCNF. “It was very unclear whether he was on track to win. In contrast, I ran a very strong campaign that was very focused on the importance of stopping illegal immigration and kept talking about that, and people saw the strength and momentum of that.”

both candidate Both men are pro-Trump conservatives as opposed to more traditional Republicans, and both describe themselves as followers of Trump's America First ideology. vote A poll on the race collected by research firm Data Orbital on July 17 and 18 showed Masters leading Hamadeh by 3 points in the closely contested primary, although a separate poll sponsored by Hamadeh's campaign and conducted June 10-12 showed him leading Masters by double digits. (RELATED: 'Party unity': Michigan GOP Senate candidate endorses pro-Trump opponent at rally)

Hamadeh, meanwhile, said he was grateful to have the former president's backing. He said the possibility of both endorsements had been discussed for months, and that he believed voters would support Masters despite his support for President Trump.

“There have been rumors about this for months. Especially after J.D. Vance was elected vice president, and it was all over the place in a lot of ways, but it's been going on for months. There have always been rumors. I mean, Blake just doesn't want to accept reality. He's not from the district. He's all the way to Tucson, and the pressure is on,” Hamadeh told DCNF.

The two Arizona Republicans have been bitter rivals in a fierce primary battle for the right to represent the party in November's general election, trading vitriol and personal attacks. according to To Bloomberg News.

“They made up their minds months ago, and to be honest, they made up their minds after Blake Masters abandoned us in November of 2022. He abandoned me and Kali Lake when we were fighting corruption here,” Hamadeh told DCNF, referring to the district's Republican base.

“I know there aren't a lot of reporters there, but when I go to these meetings and I go to these precincts, Blake gets booed and people think he's a fake, and he is. People think he's a sleazy person. He's been running the sleaziest campaign against me and it's going to backfire on Blake, that's how it seems to me. This seems like a last desperate attempt by Blake Masters. Whoever wins, I think the Trump campaign will at least have a win by Tuesday and they'll have allies in Congress, which is what they want.”

Masters and Hamadeh are among several other Republican candidates hoping to win Tuesday's general election. Candidates in the GOP primary include former Arizona Rep. Trent Franks, Arizona Rep. Ben Toma and Arizona Sen. Anthony Kahn.

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