Mark Lamb overcomes scandals to win GOP primary; plus other AZ congressional results

Unofficial results showed Lamb well ahead of his GOP rival, political newcomer Daniel Keenan. The Associated Press called the race for Lamb at 8:11 p.m. Tuesday, just minutes after early results were released.

The Arizona primary in the heart of MAGA country gauged the strength of President Donald Trump's endorsement, as Lamb faced allegations that undercut his image as a family-values candidate.

Lamb did little to push back as a monthslong investigation by The Arizona Republic surfaced claims of sexting, threats, intimidation, nude photo-sharing, racist messages and his recent purchase of a multimillion-dollar ranch property in Tennessee.

The allegations made waves in Arizona’s 5th Congressional District, a conservative stronghold that has been represented by a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for decades. Incumbent Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Arizona, is vacating the seat to run for governor.

Keenan spent his personal wealth on ads that put the allegations directly in front of voters. A well-heeled GOP group countered the attacks, buying television ads that reminded voters of Lamb's Trump endorsement.

Arizona primary election results are unofficial until local and state officials have tallied all ballots and certified the results.

Stanton wins Democratic primary

In another Arizona congressional primary, veteran Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton soundly defeated a progressive challenger who had sought to unseat him, dashing left-wing hopes of a Mamdani-style upset in the East Valley.

Unofficial results showed Stanton, D-Arizona, trouncing activist Kai Newkirk in the 4th Congressional District's Democratic primary. The Associated Press called the race for Stanton at 8:19 p.m. Tuesday, shortly after early returns were released.

Newkirk, an activist and meditation teacher, struggled to build a base of support as he undertook a long-shot effort to unseat an East Valley incumbent Democrat.

His campaign generated national attention among progressives. His platform of opposing data centers also drew pushback from big-money AI groups, who spent more than a quarter-million dollars on ads supporting Stanton.

But Newkirk had a mixed reception within the district ahead of the July 21 primary — even from the left-wing activist groups who embraced his political vision.

Stanton is a staunch moderate, serving in a leadership role for the party's centrist New Democrats bloc in the U.S. House. A former mayor of Phoenix, he has been re-elected every two years since 2018.

Trump-endorsed Feely wins 

Jay Feely, a former NFL kicker endorsed by President Donald Trump, won the Republican nomination in a closely watched U.S. House race.

Unofficial results showed Feely pulling ahead of his chief rival, former state Rep. Joseph Chaplik, in the primary for Arizona’s 1st Congressional District. The Associated Press called the race for Feely at 8:13 p.m., minutes after early results were released.

A third candidate, businessman John Trobough, trailed them from a distance.

Pointed criticisms from Chaplik, plus more than $1 million worth of campaign spending by Trobough, put pressure on Feely ahead of the July 21 primary election.

Artificial intelligence became a flashpoint in the race. Feely, who is bullish on AI, and Chaplik, a skeptic of the industry, presented two sides of an issue that has divided the GOP.

The candidates also swapped bitter criticisms that veered into personal attacks. Feely highlighted his philanthropic efforts in Haiti, a country that Trump made an emblem of unwanted immigration on the 2024 campaign trail. Chaplik used the topic as a cudgel against him. Feely called some of the remarks racist.

The district, which stretches across wealthy stretches of Paradise Valley, Scottsdale and north Phoenix, is one of just a handful of races nationwide that will decide control of the U.S. House.

Its voters narrowly picked former President Joe Biden in 2020, then flipped to Trump in 2024, a year that saw Republican victories up and down the ballot, underscoring its split personality.

Shah leads in closely watched Democratic race

Former state Rep. Amish Shah took an early lead in a big U.S. House primary race, according to early unofficial results.

He was trailed by Marlene Galán-Woods, a former newscaster, in the Democratic primary for Arizona’s 1st Congressional District.

The race tested the power of the party's establishment.

National Democrats made the rare decision to intervene in the primary, backing Galán-Woods as part of their "red to blue" program focused on winning Republican-held swing seats nationwide. Liberal groups spent millions of dollars attacking Shah and elevating Galán-Woods.

The effort was controversial. Some Democrats said it amounted to leaders meddling in contests that ought to be decided by rank-and-file voters. Many of the candidates won their nomination contests, though high-profile losses showed the limits of the party at a time when its approval ratings have sagged.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's involvement in the race amounts to "D.C. insiders coming in and trying to pick candidates," Shah said during a televised debate June 9. "It's taking the trust out of the system."

Galán-Woods' allies said the endorsement was a sign that she was well-equipped to flip the seat.

"She is the common-sense fighter Arizonans deserve to cut through the noise, push back against extremists, and get things done," DCCC chair Suzan DelBene wrote in a news release.

Two longshot candidates, businessmen Jonathan Treble and Rick McCartney, were in third and fourth place.