Former Arizona attorney general candidate Abe Hamadeh has won the Republican nomination to represent the state’s 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, according to Decision Desk HQ.
Hamadeh won the primary to replace retiring Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.), who has served in the House since 2018 and decided not to run for reelection, beating a tough battle that included his main opponent, former Arizona Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters.
Also running in the primary were Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma and former Rep. Trent Franks, who represented the district for years before resigning in 2017. Franks’ resignation came after the House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into allegations that the then-representative encouraged staff members to become surrogates for him and his wife.
The race was largely between Hamade and Masters, and got heated at times with both men launching personal attacks at each other.
Masters criticised Hamadeh in May, claiming he had “no vested interest” because he is unmarried and has no children. He also linked Hamadeh, the son of Syrian immigrants, to illegal immigration, saying “he owes everything he’s alive in this country to illegal immigration.”
Hamade hit back, calling Masters a “snake” and pointing out his own background as a former captain and intelligence officer in the U.S. Army Reserves.
Both candidates had emphasized their close ties with former President Trump, who initially endorsed Hamadeh alone before switching over last weekend to co-endorsing Hamadeh and Masters.
Hamadeh also garnered broad endorsements from prominent Republicans in and outside the state, including Arizona Republican Senate candidate Kali Lake, former state party chair Kelli Ward, former National Security Advisor Robert C. O’Brien and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.).
Hamadeh was the Republican candidate for state attorney general in the 2022 election, but lost to Democrat Chris Mays by just 300 votes.
He will now be the favorite to win a House seat in the heavily Republican 8th District.
