Former NFL kicker wins GOP House race in Arizona
Former NFL kicker Jay Feely won the Republican nomination for a U.S. House seat in Arizona this November.
Feely defeated former state Rep. Joseph Chaplik in Arizona’s 1st District Republican primary on Tuesday. Unofficial results show Feely leads with 49.7% of the vote, compared to Chaplik at 35.6% with 85% of votes counted, according to The New York Times. Tech executive John Trobough also received 14.6% of the vote.
Feely was previously endorsed by President Donald Trump in January.
“Who can call [Trump] and who can get him to answer? That’s me,” Feely said during a debate, Politico reports. “He will take my call and he will listen. I have the ability to have the ear of the president.”
Feely played 14 seasons in the NFL from 2001-14 for the Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals and Chicago Bears. He led the NFL in field goals made (32) and field goal attempts (40) with the Falcons in 2002.
After his playing career, Feely worked as an NFL broadcaster at CBS from 2015-24 before entering the GOP race in April 2025.
Feely will face the Democratic nominee for a U.S. House seat held by Rep. David Schweikert (R), who vacated the seat when he announced his run for Arizona governor in September 2025. Schweikert lost to Rep. Andy Biggs in Tuesday’s Republican primary, 73.4% to 14.7%. Biggs, who represents Arizona’s 5th District, was also previously endorsed by Trump.
Democratic candidates for the U.S. House seat include Amish Shah, who currently leads with 40.5% of the vote, ahead of Marlene Galán-Woods with 33.6%, per NYT.
Shah lost to Schweikert in the 2024 election for Arizona’s 1st District seat, 51.9% to 48.1% among 434,504 voters, according to Ballotpedia.