The race to replace outgoing Congresswoman Debbie Lesko in Arizona's deeply conservative Congressional District 8 has drawn a crowded field.
Five of the Republicans running to replace Lesko as the district’s GOP nominee agreed on most everything during a Tuesday night debate. Blake Masters, Abe Hamadeh, Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma, state Sen. Anthony Kern and Patrick Briody touted campaign endorsements, emphasized their priorities along Arizona’s southern border and touted their political experience to try and stand out.
Former Congressman Trent Franks was the only candidate who declined to participate in the debate.
Toma sought to distinguish himself as one of the few candidates in the race who’s served in public office.
“I’m the only one here that’s actually gotten these things done with one-vote majorities,” he said, referring to Republican’s razor-thin majorities in the state House and Senate. “I can do the same thing in Congress.”
Toma also touted his endorsement from Lesko, the district’s outgoing congresswoman, as well as former Republican Gov. Jan Brewer.
Two unsuccessful candidates from the 2022 campaign trail are also in the race.
Hamadeh narrowly lost his bid for attorney general two years ago — a loss he’s continued to challenge in court even while launching his congressional campaign.
During the debate, Hamadeh cast himself as a fighter, akin to former President Donald Trump and U.S. Senate hopeful Kari Lake — fellow Republicans who continue to deny their own losses in 2020 and 2022, respectively.
“This government belongs to you, we the people, and it’s time we elect strong courageous warriors who are going to fight for our interests,” Hamadeh said.
Hamadeh noted several times that he’s been endorsed by Trump.
His rivalry with a one-time ally, Masters, didn’t spill over during the debate. But in a post debate interview, Hamadeh lashed out at Masters, who has launched fierce attack ads against Hamadeh in the GOP primary.
“There’s no tension. I’m at peace with everything. It seems like Blake is a desperate, weak man who’s trying to prove himself to the world,” Hamadeh told reporters. “You can’t buy courage or a new personality,” he said.
Masters, who lost the race for U.S. Senate in 2022, was the only candidate who declined to speak to reporters following the debate. During the debate, he pledged to be the most “conservative most right-wing, anti-immigration member of Congress.”
“We need to deport 20 or 30 million illegals because if we don’t we’re not going to have a country,” Masters said.
One of the only areas where the candidates expressed policy differences was on abortion.
All of the candidates said they oppose abortion and celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade. But Masters said he supports a 15-week federal abortion ban, in an effort, he said, to prevent liberal states like California from allowing late-term abortions.
Hamadeh and other candidates said that abortion is solely a state’s rights issue.
All five candidates onstage sowed doubts about recent elections.
While Masters acknowledged his own loss to Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, he criticized election officials for narrow losses by Hamadeh and Lake, who was defeated by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs.
Masters also claimed “big tech” put their “thumb on the scale” to help install President Joe Biden in 2020.
Toma agreed that “big tech” assisted Biden in 2020.
“Look at the Hunter Biden laptop,” he said.
Kern claimed, without evidence, that “illegals” and “dead people” voted and altered the election results.
Hamadeh accused the courts of wrongfully stifling legal challenges to his 2022 election loss, and accused Hobbs, without evidence, of abusing her power as the secretary of state during that election cycle.
As for the race they’re now running in, Toma and Kern said they will accept the results of the upcoming primary election.
Hamadeh did not.
“It’s kind of premature to ask that,” he said. “I’m still fighting in the courts. I still haven't accepted the election of 2022. So, I’m not ready to accept the results.”
