Former NFL kicker Jay Feely won the Republican primary for Arizona’s 1st Congressional District on Tuesday, giving the GOP a Trump-backed nominee in a competitive open-seat race that will help determine which party controls the House.Feely, who received President Donald Trump’s "complete and total endorsement" in the final stretch of the race, defeated former state lawmaker Joseph Chaplik and businessman John Trobough in the GOP contest to replace Rep.David Schweikert, R-Ariz., who is running for governor but lost in his primary Tuesday night.Arizona’s 1st Congressional District is a Phoenix-area battleground that both parties see as competitive heading into November.
The district includes northeastern Maricopa County and large parts of Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and Fountain Hills, according to Arizona PBS’ candidate forum.ARIZONA GOVERNOR VETOES CHARLIE KIRK MEMORIAL LICENSE PLATE, SPARKING GOP OUTRAGE: 'THIS BILL FALLS SHORT'Jay Feely, former NFL kicker and Republican Congressional candidate for Arizona, greets voters outside a polling location at Fountain Hills Community Center during a primary election in Fountain Hills, Arizona, US, on Tuesday, July 21, 2026.(Cassidy Araiza/Bloomberg via Getty Images)Trump endorsed Feely in a video message days before the primary, calling him a "true America First conservative" and urging voters to support him in the July 21 election.
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) also placed Feely in its "MAGA Majority" program, which the committee says is aimed at supporting America First candidates in battleground districts.The GOP primary became increasingly personal in its final weeks when Chaplik accused Feely on X of having "imported Haitians," a remark Feely described as racist and directed at Haitian men he considers family, according to Axios Phoenix."This tweet had NOTHING to do with your two family members and everything to do with your history of bringing large numbers of Haitian migrants to NGO...