A Republican Senate candidate in Arizona is hoping to raise more than $570,000—and highlight his Silicon Valley connections—with an NFT. Blake Masters tells Axios that he hopes to gain support "from folks who are less conventional political donors and more founders and builders who want to see new thinking and new energy in our politics." The limited-edition digital token, which can be seen here—shows a version of the cover art for Zero to One, the 2014 book Masters co-wrote with conservative tech entrepreneur Peter Thiel. Masters says a maximum of 99 of the NFTs will be sold, with half the $5,800 price to be spent on the Republican primary and the other half on the general election campaign next year.
Thiel was one of Masters' professors at Stanford Law School and Masters now helps run Thiel Capital, which invests in tech startups. Masters, 35, tells Axios that the best NFT projects are those that "create or support certain communities where people share an excitement about something in particular" and aren't just "random art on the blockchain." Masters is seeking the GOP nomination to run against Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, the former astronaut who won a special election last year for the seat formerly held by Sen. John McCain.
"The left wants to do more with more. The right wants to do less with less. But we need to do more with less," the fundraising page says. "That's the definition of 'technology.'" Masters says NFT buyers will also receive a signed hardcover copy of the book, an invitation to a party for token holders, and "access to a private Discord chat for token holders." The Hill reports that Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich is ahead in the polls for the GOP nomination, though Masters is expected to get Donald Trump's endorsement. (More NFT stories.)
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