Lamb shakes up Republican primary for East Valley congressional seat
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The race for the East Valley's 5th Congressional District may have a new front-runner as a growing field of Republicans vies to replace U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs.
Why it matters: CD5 is a deeply Republican district that Democrats effectively have no shot of winning, so the primary is the only real contest there.
State of play: Former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb announced his candidacy last week on "The Charlie Kirk Show" podcast, adding to a Republican field that already includes:
- Former Arizona Cardinals kicker Jay Feely
- Former state Rep. Travis Grantham
- Businessperson Daniel Keenan
The latest: Lamb, who lost last year's U.S. Senate primary to Kari Lake, entered the race as the new front-runner in many political observers' view.
- Lamb has grassroots support and lots of television exposure, and his signature issue is immigration, making him the candidate to beat in CD5, said Republican operative Jon Seaton.
What they're saying: Lamb campaign spokesperson Ed Morabito noted that Pinal County makes up a sizable portion of CD5, which includes Gilbert, Queen Creek, San Tan Valley and parts of Mesa and Chandler, adding the former sheriff won the district by about 8 percentage points in last year's Senate primary.
The other side: Feely spokesperson Brian Seitchik touted Feely as a "proud America First Republican" who understands economics and pocketbook issues and has a vision to empower families and entrepreneurs.
- Grantham, who served 12 years between two stints in the Arizona House, told Axios that "voters will see a pretty stark difference between who has actually accomplished conservative goals and represented the district."
The intrigue: Keenan, founder of DK Builders, was largely an unknown quantity in the political world but raised eyebrows by putting about $925,000 of his own money into his campaign.
- Yes, but: Seaton questioned how much impact the money would have for an unknown candidate.
- A spokesperson for Keenan did not return a message from Axios.
By the numbers: Feely has brought in $1 million, with $330,000 self-funded.
- Grantham put $250,000 of his own money into the race and raised another $276,000, per the most recent campaign finance reports.
What we're watching: It's unclear whether any candidate will get President Trump's coveted endorsement in the race.
Catch up quick: The seat opened after Biggs, who's in his fifth term in the House, launched a campaign for governor earlier this year.
Flashback: The last time the East Valley-based House seat was open in 2016, Biggs defeated Christine Jones in the Republican primary by 27 votes after litigation and a court-ordered recount.