Summary

Blake Gates Masters, born in 1986, is an American venture capitalist and author.

Masters is commonly referred to as a protégé of businessman Peter Thiel, with whom he co-wrote Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future in 2014. Masters was later chief operating officer of Thiel’s investment firm, Thiel Capital, and also president of the Thiel Foundation.

Masters won the Republican nomination in the August 2, 2022, primary with about 40% of the vote.

Below is Blake Masters’ record and public positions on issues important to the Jewish community.

Masters was critical of the Biden administration’s renewed nuclear agreement negotiations with the Iran. “You’re not supposed to negotiate with terrorists,” he elaborated, arguing that the Biden administration has shown it “is willing to cave” on a range of issues as it seeks consensus with Iran. “You’re not supposed to deliver pallets of cash to people who hate you, who hate Israel, who want to wipe it off the face of the map.”

Masters has expressed his strong support for Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), the far-right conspiracy theorist that has espoused antisemitic tropes before assuming office and during her time in Congress. “I’d love her endorsement,” Masters said of Greene. “I think she’s just really impressive. Like, I’ve gotten the opportunity to meet with her and chat with her, and I think she’s the real deal.”

Masters was associated with Andrew Torba, the founder of the far-right social media platform Gab. In a conversation on Twitter Spaces, Torba explained in detail how Gab had been booted from mainstream app stores, and Masters expressed sympathy for the antisemitic entrepreneur.

Masters was criticized for once including in a piece he wrote what he said was a “poignant quotation” from the Nazi official Herman Goering. On the campaign trail, Masters emphasized that he had not praised Goering, but that did not assuage the concerns of Arizona’s Jewish community.

Masters expressed support for legislation that would provide Israel with $1 billion in supplemental funding to replenish its Iron Dome missile-defense system following the May conflict with Hamas. “I think it’s really cool, actually, as a piece of technology. It sucks that you need it. But again, tough neighborhood,” he said.