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Arizona voters head to the polls Tuesday for primary elections that will test the influence of President Donald Trump across multiple high-stakes Republican races. Trump’s endorsements span congressional and statewide contests, with potential consequences for November’s midterm battles over the House majority and the state’s executive office.
In the Republican gubernatorial primary, Trump has thrown his support behind Rep. Andy Biggs, the former chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, who is competing for the chance to face incumbent Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs. Biggs also has the backing of Turning Point USA and remains the frontrunner in a field that includes longtime Republican Rep. David Schweikert, concrete pumping contractor Scott Neely and business owner Ken Miceli.
Hobbs, a former Arizona Secretary of State who narrowly defeated Kari Lake four years ago, ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and will advance to the general election. The state attorney general race has emerged as highly contentious, with state Senate President Warren Petersen and military attorney Rodney Glassman engaging in escalating attacks ahead of the GOP nomination contest.
In Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, a key swing seat in the northeastern Phoenix suburbs, Trump endorsed Jay Feely, a former Arizona Cardinals player and CBS Sports NFL analyst, to succeed Rep. David Schweikert. The race also features former state lawmaker Joseph Chaplik and businessman John Trobough on the Republican ballot.
The Democratic congressional race in the 1st District pits former state Rep. Amish Shah, an emergency room physician who won the 2024 nomination, against former TV anchor Marlene Galán-Woods, a former Republican backed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and top Democrats including Sen. Mark Kelly and former Gov. Janet Napolitano.
Trump has also endorsed former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb for the GOP nomination in Arizona’s 5th District, a solidly red southeastern Phoenix suburb race. Lamb faces construction contractor Daniel Keenan, who has emphasized sexual misconduct and abuse-of-power allegations against the sheriff, though the Pinal County attorney cleared Lamb of criminal charges last month.
Trump’s endorsement track record in Republican primaries has been largely successful this cycle, with backed candidates defeating incumbents in Indiana, Kentucky, Texas and Louisiana. However, his June endorsement of Rep. Randy Feenstra in Iowa’s gubernatorial primary failed to secure victory, as Zach Lahn prevailed with support from the Make America Healthy Again movement and Turning Point USA.
In recent weeks, Trump-backed candidates won two of three top races in Georgia and Alabama GOP runoffs, with the exception involving a self-funded billionaire businessman. Trump-endorsed first-time candidate Anthony Constantino defeated retired Marine Col. Robert Smullen in upstate New York for the House seat being vacated by Rep. Elise Stefanik.
The president achieved sweeping success in South Carolina’s gubernatorial runoff, where his dual endorsements of Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and state Attorney General Alan Wilson saw Wilson win decisively. In Louisiana, Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow ousted Sen. Bill Cassidy, who had voted to convict Trump during his 2021 impeachment trial.
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