Former Arizona Cardinals kicker Jay Feely won the Republican primary for Arizona’s 1st Congressional District on Tuesday with 49.4% of the vote, leveraging President Donald Trump’s endorsement to advance to a highly competitive general election in November.
Feely received 31,156 votes and defeated former state Rep. Joseph Chaplik, who garnered 35.2% of the vote, and John Trobough with 15.4%, according to results with 69% of votes counted. The primary tested Trump’s endorsement power in a critical battleground seat that spans the affluent suburbs north of Phoenix.
During the campaign, Feely, an athlete-turned-broadcaster who counts Tom Brady among his college roommates, leaned heavily on his relationship with Trump. “Who can call [Trump] and who can get him to answer? That’s me,” Feely said in a debate, adding “He will take my call and he will listen.” Trump endorsed both Feely and former state GOP chair Gina Swoboda for the seat in January on Truth Social, calling them “fierce advocates of Make America Great Again.” When Swoboda dropped her candidacy in February to run for secretary of state, the path cleared for Feely’s nomination.
Chaplik, a member of the Arizona Freedom Caucus, attacked Feely during the primary for being insufficiently conservative on gun rights and for his humanitarian work in Haiti. But Feely’s Trump endorsement and fundraising advantage proved decisive. As a member of the National Republican Congressional Committee’s MAGA Majority fundraising program, Feely will likely receive substantial outside Republican spending heading into November.
The general election will be decidedly difficult for the Republican nominee. Arizona’s 1st District is one of House Democrats’ top targets after Trump won it by just three points in 2024. The Democratic primary produced Dr. Amish Shah, a former Arizona House member and emergency medicine physician, who emerged from a crowded field to face Feely in the fall.
Sources
- Politico — Trump endorsement, primary results, vote totals, district competitiveness, Feely’s background and strategy
- Reuters — Primary victory confirmation and Trump endorsement
- USA Today — Primary results and Trump endorsement
- Fox News — Primary victory and Trump backing
