Hamadeh wins competitive GOP primary to replace Rep. Debbie Lesko in Arizona

Abe Hamadeh won a six-way GOP primary to replace outgoing Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ) in a safe Republican district on Wednesday, despite a last-minute endorsement from former President Donald Trump of opponent Blake Masters.

Hamadeh, who unsuccessfully ran for attorney general in 2022, received 29.8% of the vote with 86% of the ballots counted when the primary was called at 8:27 p.m. ET, according to the Associated Press. Meanwhile, Masters who unsuccessfully ran for Senate in 2022, received 25.3% of the vote. Former Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), who resigned in 2017 after a scandal, and state Assembly Speaker Ben Toma, who had the endorsement of Lesko, received 16.5% and 21.2%, respectively. 

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Hamadeh had previously been the only candidate to hold a Trump endorsement in the race, while Masters had scored an endorsement from his running mate Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH). However, Trump issued a rare duel endorsement of both candidates Saturday evening, putting an end to any possible issues the competing endorsements could have posed. 

While Trump called both candidates “spectacular,” he noted that Masters was a “very successful businessman” and “an incredibly strong supporter” of the MAGA movement. He said Hamadeh was “a fearless fighter for election integrity.”

Both Masters and Hamadeh were endorsed by Trump in 2022 and lost their respective races. In 2022, Hamadeh claimed, without evidence, that U.S. elections “have been hijacked” and promised a “day of reckoning” for “those who worked to rob President Trump in the rigged 2020 election.”

Neither Masters nor Hamadeh actually reside in the 8th Congressional District, in the Phoenix area. Masters lives in Tucson, according to records from the Federal Election Commission, over a two-hour drive away. Hamadeh also does not live in district. Instead, he resides in nearby Scottsdale, according to FEC filings. 

There had been limited polling for this race, but both Hamadeh and Masters had been in the lead. According to campaign finance reports, Masters spent millions, with $3.5 million of his $4 million in receipts coming from candidate loans. Hamadeh spent $1.2 million, $400,000 of which came from his own pocket. Toma raised more than $1 million in the race. Only $43,000 of the $643,000 Franks raised came from donors; the rest was a loan.

Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, which encompasses northwest Phoenix and its suburbs, has a large retiree population and largely votes Republican. Hamadeh will likely go on to win the House seat in November against Democrat Gregory Whitten.