Topline
Arizona Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters in February denied a gender pay gap exists in America, calling it a “left-wing narrative” and adding that if men are paid more than women, it’s because they do the “most dangerous” jobs, according to a video obtained by NBC News on Wednesday.
The symbol of the Republican Party is shown.
Key Facts
When asked at a forum with other Senate candidates in Scottsdale, Arizona, about a proposed Equal Rights Amendment—which would ban discrimination based on sex—Masters said women are “not paid less in America than men,” according to the video.
He said pay is “actually pretty equal” after controlling for factors like occupation and time off, adding that men may be paid more because they’re more likely to take “risky” jobs such as policing and “crab fishing in Alaska.”
Masters called on Republicans to “push back” on the “fake left-wing narrative” that women don’t have equal rights in the United States.
A spokesperson for Masters’ campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Forbes.
Crucial Quote
“We don't need an Equal Rights Amendment. That would actually just be a Trojan horse to give the government more power to implement Kamala Harris's national gender strategy,” Masters said, according to NBC’s video.
Tangent
Women earned 83 cents for every dollar men earned in 2021, according to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, a nonprofit organization that advocates for women. Those numbers have remained relatively constant over the past 15 years, according to Pew Research Center, which estimates much of the gap is explained by factors such as education level, work experience and a tendency for men and women to work in different occupations.
Key Background
A venture capitalist, Masters is running in a competitive August 2 primary against several others—including state Attorney General Mark Brnovich—to take on Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz). Masters is angling for an endorsement from former President Donald Trump: The former president recently called into one of Masters’ campaign events but still hasn’t officially backed a candidate in the race, though he said last month he would endorse someone “soon.” Trump has criticized Brnovich for a report he authored investigating the 2020 election, which noted election vulnerabilities but did not back Trump’s unproven allegations of widespread fraud. Masters has received millions in donations through a PAC funded by Peter Thiel, the billionaire PayPal co-founder whom Masters used to work for as the president of the Thiel Foundation philanthropic group. Thiel has also donated to GOP Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance. Masters has come under fire for some controversial views, including a claim on his website discovered by the Arizona Mirror that he would only vote to confirm judges who believe Griswold v. Connecticut, a Supreme Court decision which protects the rights of married couples to buy contraception, was “wrongly decided.” He later wrote in a tweet he does not believe contraceptives should be outlawed, and has threatened to sue the outlet.
Further Reading
Gender pay gap is just a ‘left-wing narrative,’ Ariz. Senate candidate said (NBC News)
