Progressive activist Kai Newkirk is looking to unseat fellow Democrat Rep. Greg Stanton, who has represented Arizona in Congress since 2019.
Stanton represents Congressional District 4, a Democratic-leaning district covering Tempe and other parts of the East Valley.
Newkirk, co-chair of the Arizona Democratic Party’s Progressive Council, said he is entering the race because Democrats need to be more aggressive in their opposition to President Donald Trump.
He said Stanton is a “good man,” but argued he is not up to that fight.
“People have been coming out in the streets and organizing and standing up in a climate of a lot of fear for more than a year now to push back on Trump's drive to seize power,” Newkirk said. “And we've seen a number of our other representatives in state government and in the federal government and Congress that have been out there with us, and Greg hasn't shown up once.”
In a statement to KJZZ, Stanton defended his record.
“In the East Valley, I'm continuing to deliver results — protecting our water, strengthening public safety, and driving real action to lower costs,” Stanton said. “With Trump making life harder and more expensive for working families and sending ICE to target our communities, I'm not backing down. When it comes to building trust and earning the confidence of Arizonans, I won't be out worked.”
The congressman has regularly positioned himself as a vocal opponent of the Trump administration, including leading efforts to combat the president’s tariffs on Canada and Mexico and joining other Arizona Democrats to call the administration’s aggressive deportation effort.
But Newkirk accused Stanton of failing to take meaningful action against the administration. And he criticized the congressman for supporting the Laken Riley Act, legislation that expanded the federal government’s ability to deport people without legal status who are charged with crimes like shoplifting, assaulting a police officer or other crimes causing death or serious injury.
Stanton was one of 46 Democrats in the House to vote for the legislation. Arizona Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego also supported it in the Senate.
“He's not taken accountability for that, apologized for it, acknowledged it as an incredible blunder that it is, or come out to support the change that we need to end this reign of terror forever, which is not just to have some reforms here or there on the edge,” Newkirk said. “No, we need to disband ICE.”
Newkirk said he differs from Stanton on several other high-profile policy issues, including U.S. support for Israel during the Gaza war ignited by the Oct. 7 attacks carried out by Hamas.
“He has refused to do anything to try to hold the extremist Israeli government accountable for its genocide in Gaza, for the war crimes around the region,” Newkirk said.
Stanton has remained supportive of Israel over the course of the war amid reports of widespread famine and displacement in Gaza. He has also advocated for ceasefires in the war and a two-state solution to resolve the conflict.
CD4 is not considered a competitive district for Republicans, though voter registration totals show GOP voters actually outnumber Democrats.
According to the Secretary of State’s Office, Republicans make up about 33% of the electorate versus Democrats at 30%. However, independent voters make up the single largest category of voters in the district at around 36%.
Still, the Cook Political Report rates the district as solidly Democratic, with Democrats holding a +4% advantage in the past two presidential elections, and Stanton defeated Republican Kelly Cooper by 7% in 2024.
Newkirk said he isn’t worried that a bruising primary election could give Republicans a chance to flip the district, noting the district’s historic Democratic lean and projections that 2026 could be a “blue wave” year for Democrats.
“Whoever comes out of this primary is going to prevail,” Newkirk said. He also committed to supporting Stanton if the incumbent defeats him in July.
Before he can face Stanton in the July primary, Newkirk must collect the over 1,300 signatures from Arizona voters to qualify for the ballot.
That could be a tall task given he just officially entered the race less than two weeks before the candidate filing deadline.
“We're only going to be able to win this if we can build a powerful grassroots movement, and the first step is to get the signatures to get on the ballot,” Newkirk said.
Three other Democrats have filed statements of interest to run in the Democratic primary: Paul Singh, Noah Garcia and Tre Rook, a former Green Party legislative candidate.
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