Abe Hamadeh nabs early lead in race to represent West Valley congressional district

Trump-endorsed Abe Hamadeh is narrowly edging out his opponents in the race for the Republican nomination to represent Arizona’s Congressional District 8 in the U.S. House of Representatives.  

Initial reporting shows Hamadeh leading the pack by more than four percentage points, with an edge over venture capitalist Blake Masters of about 4,700 votes. 

The race to replace U.S. Rep. Debbie Lesko in Congressional District 8 after her surprise announcement in October 2023 that she wouldn’t seek reelection culminated in a crowded candidate field of hopefuls and carpet-baggers. That’s because CD8, which spans the northwest part of Phoenix and most of the northwest suburbs, is widely regarded as a GOP stronghold, and the winner of the Republican primary is virtually guaranteed a win in November. 

Hamadeh, who lives in Scottsdale, was endorsed early by former President Donald Trump. But just two days before voters went to the polls, Trump threw a political wrench into the race by backing Masters, too. 

Both candidates had previously earned Trump’s endorsement during the 2022 midterms, with Masters hoping to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly and Hamadeh aiming to be elected attorney general. Both lost, though Hamadeh has repeatedly — and unsuccessfully — asked the courts to overturn his 280-vote loss to Kris Mayes. 

Also running to replace Lesko was businessman and former Congressman Trent Franks, who resigned in 2017 following a public scandal when he reportedly offered to pay a staffer $5 million to become pregnant with his child. Lesko was appointed to replace Franks and went on to represent the district for nearly a decade.

Ben Toma, a veteran state legislator and speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives, also threw his hat in the ring, running on his legislative track record, which has been defined by culture-war issues and hostile immigration proposals. A Republican from Glendale, Toma championed sweeping income tax cuts and universal private school vouchers.

He also was instrumental in crafting a measure headed to the November ballot that gives police officers broad power to jail migrants and punishes undocumented Arizonans for submitting false documentation to apply for jobs or public benefits. 

Toma currently sits in third place in the CD8 election, trailing Hamadeh by about 5,500 votes.