Trump endorsements score wins for Arizona candidates

By Andrew Rice
The Center Square

Congressional candidates in Arizona sailed to victory with endorsements from President Donald Trump on Tuesday.

Trump’s endorsement in the primary election played a key role in several races where control of Congress may hang in the balance. Some races are yet to be decided.

Here are early results in some of the races.

District 1

Former NFL analyst and Trump-endorsed Republican Jay Feely will face off against a Democrat who is yet to be determined in the Nov. 3 general election for one of the most highly contested congressional races in the country.

Feely, with 49.4% of the vote at 9 p.m. local time Tuesday, overcame challenges from Arizona state Rep. Joseph Chaplik and technology consultant John Trobough.

Democrats Amish Shah and Marlene Galán-Woods were in the top two spots for the party’s nomination. Shah previously ran against David Schweikert, the Scottsdale Republican who sought a bid for Arizona governor instead of reelection to Congress.

Shah had 42% of the vote over Galán-Woods who had 32.3% at 9 p.m. Tuesday.

“Arizonans just chose a fmr. NFL player, sportscaster, business & charity leader, dad & coach ready to fight to lower taxes, grow the economy & lower costs,” the National Republican Congressional Committee wrote in a social media post congratulating Feely on Tuesday night

Feely received more than $1.6 million in contributions over Shah who held $1.3 million in contributions. However, Galán-Woods received more than $2.1 million in campaign contributions.

District 2

Incumbent Rep. Eli Crane, R-Arizona, easily sailed to secure the party’s nomination against Democrat Jonathan Nez on Tuesday night. Crane received more than 51,000 votes compared to Nez with 39,000 at 9 p.m. Tuesday.

Nez and Crane were the only candidates running for their respective party nominations. Crane is seeking his third term in Congress. Nez, a former president of the Navajo Nation, is seeking to oust him.

Crane has touted legislation to end immigrant visa programs, like the H-1B, dedicated to high-skilled foreign workers. The End H-1B Visa Abuse Act of 2026 would pause the issuance of visas until the cap is lowered from 50,000 to 25,000.

Crane has a significant fundraising advantage over Nez with more than $8.6 million in contributions according to most recent FEC filings. Nez has slightly more than $3.2 million.

Nez has received $1,000 from the Sunflower Seeds Political Action Committee, $3,600 from the Zinc Collective PAC and $7,000 from James McClave, a trader from the Jane Street Group. Crane has received donations of more than $10,000 from the American Revival PAC; $5,000 from the Freedom Caucus Fund and $2,000 from Elevance Health.

District 3

Incumbent Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Arizona, also sailed to victory on Tuesday night without a primary competitor as she seeks her second term. Nicholas Glenn, a Republican write-in candidate, is seeking to challenge Ansari.

Ansari received 27,383 votes as of Tuesday night at 9 p.m. Glenn received 265 votes for his write-in campaign.

Ansari has remained critical of the U.S. Department of Justice’s release of documents associated with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and has called for Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to be impeached over the conflict in Iran.

“When it comes to Hegseth, this is a man that is willfully incompetent,” Ansari said in a video on social media. “The man has committed many impeachable offenses prior to the war in Iran, but it was that bombing in the school in Minab that killed more than 160 children that was the final straw for me.”

Ansari has received more than $1.3 million in contributions toward her campaign. She received $10,000 over the last year from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers PAC.

District 4

Republican Zuhdi Jasser will face off against Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Arizona, in November’s election for the 4th Congressional District. Stanton beat out progressive challenger Kai Newkirk with 68.1% of the vote and 29,425 votes as of 9 p.m. local time on Tuesday.

Jasser has focused his campaign on balancing the federal budget, providing appropriations for immigration enforcement and supporting the Trump administration’s affordable healthcare push.

“I support a Balanced Budget Amendment to the United States Constitution,” Jasser’s website reads. “In Congress, I’ll fight to get our spending under control. For too long, both parties have spent without regard for whether we can afford it.”

Jasser earned 27,137 votes in the Republican primary election.

Stanton leads the pack in fundraising with more than $2.1 million in contributions, according to most recent filings from the Federal Elections Commission. Jasser follows behind with around $564,000 in contributions, according to the FEC.

Stanton has contributions from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and UnitedHealth Group PAC. Jasser received contributions from David Alexander, president of The Jet Companies Inc. and Leanne Wilhardt, general counsel for 21st Century Healthcare.

District 5

Democrat Elizabeth Lee will face off against Mark Lamb in the November general election to replace U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Gilbert, who won the Republican primary for governor Tuesday with a landslide victory.

Lamb, the Trump-endorsed candidate and former sheriff, overcame a challenge from Daniel Keenan and secured 58.7% of the vote in the Republican primary as of 9 p.m. local time Tuesday. He secured 33,072 votes over Keenan with 23,259.

Lee overcame challenges from Chris James and Brian Hualde for the Democratic nomination with 64.4% of the vote. Lee received 22,377 votes over James with 7,692 votes.

Lamb received more than $1.1 million in campaign contributions over Lee who earned more than $147,000 in campaign contributions. Lamb received more than $30,000 over the past year from the Club for Growth PAC, Lee’s contributions are primarily small individual donations.

District 6

In another one of the most closely watched elections across the country, U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Arizona, easily secured his party’s nomination to face off against Democratic candidate JoAnna Mendoza in November.

Both Mendoza and Ciscomani ran unopposed in their parties’ primaries Tuesday.

The 6th Congressional District, which includes portions of the U.S.-Mexico border. is especially vulnerable as President Donald Trump’s immigration policies grow more unpopular with Latino voters – a core constituency in the area.

Mendoza received more than 64,000 votes compared to Ciscomani with slightly more than 49,000, a potential sign of greater motivation for a Democrat to flip the contentious seat.

Mendoza outpaced Ciscomani in campaign contributions, with more than $6.4 million compared to Ciscomani’s $3.9 million. However, Ciscomani has nearly $1 million more in cash on hand compared to Mendoza.

District 9

U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Arizona, is set to face Democrat Danielle Sterbinsky in the Nov. 3 election. Both candidates in Arizona’s 9th Congressional District ran unopposed in their parties’ primaries Tuesday.

Gosar received more than 52,000 votes compared to 28,000 votes for Sterbinsky.

Gosar has touted his legislation to block the creation of a national gun owner registry. Sterbinsky has applauded passage of the ROAD to Housing Act, legislation that bars institutional investors from purchasing large swaths of single-family homes

Gosar leads in fundraising with more than $575,000 in contributions, according to the Federal Elections Commission. Sterbinsky has slightly more than $354,000 in contributions.

Most of Sterbinsky’s contributions are small individual donations. Gosar’s contributions include $10,000 from the Anti-Woke Fund; $1,000 from the National Rifle Association; and $2,500 from the Halliburton Company PAC.