Former Arizona Cardinals’ kicker Jay Feely announced Friday that he is running for Congress in a different district than he originally planned, at the suggestion of President Donald Trump.
Feely previously announced he’d run for Congress in District 5 — which encompasses the southeast Valley — to replace Rep. Andy Biggs, who is forgoing a reelection campaign to run for governor. But former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb also jumped into that race with Trump’s endorsement.
Trump suggested at the time that Feely should look elsewhere.
Since then, Rep. David Schweikert also announced he’d leave Congress for a gubernatorial run as well.
Now, Feely is running for Schweikert’s seat in Congressional District 1, which encompasses parts of north Phoenix, Scottsdale and Fountain Hills.
“After nearly a quarter century in professional football, I know that no one player is more important than the well being of the team. In this moment, the best way I can serve our GOP team is to defend this crucial Republican seat,” Feely said in a statement.
Feely is set to face off against state lawmaker Joseph Chaplik and Trump-endorsed Arizona Republican Party chair Gina Swoboda in the GOP primary.
“If Gilbert carpetbagger Jay Feely foolishly thinks he can win in AZ01, then more power to him I guess. But the outcome won’t change — Gina Swoboda will win the Republican primary,” Swoboda’s consultant Chris Baker said in a text.
Chaplik announced his candidacy on Monday.
As of Friday afternoon, Trump hadn’t commented on either Chaplik or Feely’s CD1 candidacy, but he has a history of double-endorsements, including backing both Biggs and lobbyist Karrin Taylor Robson for governor in 2026.
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