Former Tucson classmates and teachers condemn Blake Masters as ‘dangerous’ for Arizona

A group of Blake Masters’ former classmates at Green Fields Country Day School in Tucson have condemned him in no uncertain terms in an open letter saying that he would “lead Arizona down a dark, dystopian path.”

Masters, the Republican U.S. Senate nominee, won a crowded GOP primary election in August after being endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Masters has campaigned on the “Big Lie” that Trump actually won the 2020 election and has said he would support enacting strict anti-abortion laws nationwide if elected. 

In the letter, Masters’ former classmates, teachers and fellow alumni describe him as someone who was ambitious and always ready to debate, but who was also kind. They say his public image now is barely recognizable compared to the student they used to know. 

“He peddles extremist ideology — attacking veterans, calling abortion ‘demonic,’ being endorsed by Neo-Nazis, blaming gun violence on ‘Black people, frankly,’ and that’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Masters’ former classmates said in the letter. “He also belittles those who don’t share his views, and it’s clear Blake will lead Arizona down a dark, dystopian path. He is a man who gave up everything — his friends, his community, his values, and his integrity — all in pursuit of power, position, and prestige.”

The Green Fields alumni and teachers wrote that they are “deeply grieved” to see that Masters has become a “dangerous politician.” 

The letter is signed by 75 of Masters’ former classmates, teachers and alumni of Green Fields Country Day. The small private school in Tucson operated for decades, but closed after it went bankrupt in 2019. 

Masters’ campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the letter. 

At Green Fields, Masters was one of 24 students who graduated in 2004. 

“He is beholden to a power-hungry billionaire and his radical ideology,” Masters’ classmates wrote. “He wants to outlaw abortion nationally, privatize Social Security, and rip away the fundamental rights of others — women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ community.”

Masters is a venture capitalist whose run in the Republican primary was mostly funded by his former boss, billionaire tech magnate Peter Thiel, who put $15 million into a PAC supporting the Masters campaign. 

So far, Thiel has not done the same for Masters ahead of the general election. 

“Green Fields was known in Tucson for cultivating inquisitive, insightful, tolerant, and independent young minds, and it will always hold a special place in our hearts,” Masters’ classmates said. 

At the end of the letter, his former classmates appealed directly to Masters: “To Blake: If you’re reading this, even though you have abandoned our values, we will not let you diminish our community. We will continue standing together, without you.”