Blake Masters, the COO of Thiel Capital and the President of the Thiel Foundation, announced on Monday that he will seek the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.

“This country used to work. Now it doesn’t. The Biden Administration is a train wreck, and Mark Kelly is nowhere to be found. We have to take this seat — and the United States Senate — back,” the Tucson native said in a video announcing his candidacy.

According to his campaign website, the Arizona Republican will focus on a host of issues that are important to voters.

“Our border with Mexico is a disaster. The Biden Administration refuses to finish the border wall and practically invites people to come here illegally. Big business is OK with it, since it means cheap labor. And progressive activists just want to add immigrants to the voter rolls. This must stop,” Masters explained of current immigration policies — which is a central concern among Arizona Republicans.

Masters has also pledged that he will take aim at Critical Race Theory (CRT) teachings.

“Every mom I speak to tells me the same thing: the schools are bad and getting worse. The curricula are jammed full of progressive programming. Standards and outcomes are plummeting. We need to stand up to teachers’ unions, support school choice in all its forms, and defend homeschoolers,” his website details.

Masters enters a crowded GOP that is likely to grow even larger. Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich launched his campaign earlier last month. Retired Adjutant General of the Arizona National Guard Michael McGuire also announced that he was running.

While the field is crowded, Masters has the tools to be successful. He has already secured a $10 million super PAC donation from his former boss, tech billionaire Peter Thiel. Further, Masters has a history of fundraising for campaigns. In 2020, he headed an Arizona PAC that raised $3 million to help elect Republicans to the Arizona state legislature.

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Cooper Moran is a reporter for the Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].