Blake Masters, the Republican U.S. Senate nominee in Arizona, said in a sarcastic tweet that the current racial and gender diversity at the Federal Reserve is responsible for the U.S.’s current economic outlook.
The candidate, who was trailing Mark Kelly, the Democratic incumbent, by eight points in a Fox News poll released last week, re-tweeted an Associated Press report that detailed the record number of women, as well as Black and openly LGBTQ people, in key roles at the Federal Reserve. “Finally a compelling explanation for why our economy is doing so well,” Masters remarked on Sunday. Responses ranged from open endorsement, to blistering accusations of bigotry and racism.
Representatives for Masters, a longtime associate of billionaire investor Peter Thiel, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last week, Politico reported that the Senate Republicans’ super PAC was cutting around $8 million in ad spending in Arizona through September.
