A former NFL kicker with President Trump’s backing just won a Republican primary that could help decide who controls the U.S. House next year.
Story Snapshot
- Jay Feely, a former Arizona Cardinals kicker, won the Republican primary in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District.
- Amish Shah won the Democratic primary, setting up a Feely-versus-Shah general election in November.
- The seat is open because Republican incumbent David Schweikert dropped his re-election bid to run for governor instead.
- President Trump’s endorsement helped push Feely past a crowded GOP field.
- The district is seen as one of the most competitive in the country, with control of the House partly at stake.
Ex-Kicker Turns Politician
Jay Feely spent 14 seasons kicking footballs in the NFL, including time with the Arizona Cardinals. He then moved into broadcasting before entering politics. This week, he won the Republican nomination for Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, beating former state lawmaker Joseph Chaplik and other rivals in the primary.
Local news outlets called the race for Feely once returns showed him with a commanding lead. Arizona’s Family reported that “former NFL kicker and broadcaster Jay Feely has been declared the winner of the GOP primary for CD 1,” and that both parties’ nominees would head to a November showdown.
Trump’s Pick Pays Off Again
President Trump endorsed Feely early in the race, and that support appears to have mattered. Feely leaned on the president’s backing to stand out in a field of Republican challengers, showing once again how much influence a Trump endorsement carries in GOP primaries across the country this cycle.
On the Democratic side, Amish Shah won his party’s nomination. The Associated Press called the race for Shah, and outlets including 12 News confirmed he was the projected Democratic nominee, setting up a clear two-person race for November.
An Open Seat With High Stakes
This race carries extra weight because the seat is open. Incumbent Republican David Schweikert, who won re-election in 2024, dropped his House bid in September 2025 to run for governor instead. That decision cleared the field and turned a normally safe-ish seat into a wide-open contest both parties are fighting hard to win.
Arizona’s 1st District covers Scottsdale and other northeastern Phoenix suburbs. It has flipped between close margins in recent cycles, making it one of the true swing districts nationwide. With House control often decided by a handful of seats, both national parties are expected to pour money and attention into this race between now and November.
Congrats to AZ Congressional Primary winner Jay Feely!!
May 18th 2026. Video by MAAP Real.
Candidate for Arizona congressional seat in district CD1 Jay Feely. Spee… https://t.co/n5OVf4UvHV— George Nemeh (@GeorgeNemeh) July 24, 2026
Some early reporting created brief confusion, with one older results archive still showing Schweikert as the Republican winner from a past election cycle rather than this year’s contest. That mismatch reflects outdated data mixed into search results, not any real dispute about who actually won this year’s primary. Local reporters on the ground consistently and clearly named Feely and Shah as this cycle’s nominees.
For voters frustrated with career politicians on both sides, this race offers something different: a football player turned political outsider facing off against a physician-turned-lawmaker. Whether either candidate can address the deeper concerns voters share about Washington dysfunction remains an open question that only the general election, and the work that follows, can answer.
Sources:
facebook.com, pbs.org, kjzz.org
