Republican Abe Hamadeh called election deniers 'crazies' in text messages to now-rival Blake Masters

Republican congressional candidate Abe Hamadeh privately called those who believe stolen election claims "crazies" in text messages obtained by The Arizona Republic.

At the same time, Hamadeh was publicly spreading unfounded claims about U.S. election security.

In the texts, dated January 2023, his now-primary opponent Blake Masters reached out to express sympathy over Hamadeh's loss in the 2022 Arizona attorney general's race. Hamadeh responded that he was "doing great" despite having lost the race.

"No matter what happens I'm winning right now. I'm not lumped in with crazies with election stuff because I'm so close at 280," Hamadeh went on to explain, referencing his narrow margin of loss. "But the crazies love because they see me fighting."

"Win win," he wrote to Masters, who has since become Hamadeh's primary opponent in the race for retiring U.S. Rep. Debbie Lesko's seat.

Hamadeh has publicly cast doubt on the legitimacy of the 2022 election that he lost and has filed multiple lawsuits challenging its outcome. The fact that he “stood strong” on the issue helped earn him endorsements from former President Donald Trump and the front-running U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake, he said at a recent debate.

He showed no sign of a pivot when the texts were released on Wednesday morning. In a statement to The Arizona Republic, Hamadeh campaign spokesperson Erica Knight charged that Masters' decision to release the texts was a "sad and vindictive scheme to undermine President Trump." She sent screenshots that confirmed the legitimacy of the messages.

Knight said Hamadeh used the term because he "has been labeled a crazy time and time again" and “chooses to laugh about it rather than back down from the fight.” It was unclear how that applied to his remark about not being “lumped in with crazies.”

Trump and Lake's campaigns did not respond to inquiries about the news. Hamadeh's campaign provided a statement from Kash Patel, a Trump ally, who wrote that he stands by his endorsement of the congressional hopeful: "Actions will always speak louder than words."

Unfounded claims about U.S. elections security have been a core part of Hamadeh’s political ascent.

Hamadeh was a political newcomer when he ran for Arizona attorney general in 2022. He lost the race by only 280 votes, one of the narrowest elections in state history. The race was automatically subject to a recount due to its close result.

Hamadeh challenged his loss in court in the weeks after the election and has continued to file new lawsuits and appeals ever since. The courts have repeatedly ruled against Hamadeh and greenlit sanctions against his lawyers.

He would not be the first person in Trump’s orbit to take a different tone about election security claims in private. Several hosts of the conservative television network Fox News privately expressed disbelief about Trump’s election falsehoods, even while they endorsed or aired the same claims to an audience of millions.

Those claims have taken root. Polling suggests that a strong majority of Republicans now believe the unfounded claim that President Joe Biden, a Democrat, was not the legitimate winner of the 2020 election.

In a message posted Wednesday on the social-media platform X, Hamadeh referred to Masters as a "'Friend' turned snake."

Masters said the texts show Hamadeh is using election rhetoric opportunistically.

Hamadeh “privately mocked people who believed that he was fighting for election integrity,” Masters wrote in a comment.

“The truth (is) that Abe is a shape shifter. His whole posture has been to manipulate people in order to advance his political career. So he will gladly mock his supporters as crazy and laugh behind their backs, while pretending to be their champion in public. The people of Arizona’s 8th congressional district deserve better.”

The Daily Mail was the first to report the text messages.

This is a developing story. Check www.azcentral.com for updates.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Abe Hamadeh called election deniers "crazies" in text messages