Slugfest between Hamadeh and Masters dominates CD8 Republican primary

The race to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Debbie Lesko in her West Valley congressional district has devolved into a bitter fight between two former allies from the 2022 election.

The big picture: Six Republicans are running for the seat, including some notable names in Arizona politics, like former U.S. Rep. Trent Franks, state House Speaker Ben Toma and state Sen. Anthony Kern.

• But the sheer nastiness of their campaigns means Abraham Hamadeh and Blake Masters have commanded most of the attention.

Why it matters: The 8th Congressional District is solidly Republican, meaning the winner of the GOP primary will almost certainly win the seat in November.

Flashback: In 2022, Hamadeh and Masters were allies, both endorsed by former President Trump, as the Republican nominees for attorney general and U.S. Senate, respectively.

• Both lost the general election, though Hamadeh, who was defeated by 280 votes, continues to baselessly claim he won the race. Courts have rejected multiple lawsuits seeking to overturn the results.

Friction point: Now that they're vying for the same seat, they're targeting each other with relentlessly negative campaigns .

• And this time around, Trump endorsed Hamadeh over Masters.

State of play: Masters ran television ads deriding his opponent as " dishonest Abe ," saying Hamadeh believes the U.S. was founded on Islamic principles and showing a photo of him wearing traditional Muslim garb at the Kaaba in Mecca while deployed overseas with the U.S. Army. Masters has also put that image on campaign signs.

• The ad called Hamadeh a supporter of amnesty, and it noted that his father, an immigrant from Syria, reportedly overstayed his visa and was in the U.S. illegally at the time of Hamadeh's birth.
• Hamadeh struck back, calling Masters a " snake " after private text messages between them were leaked to the media, and he has disparaged Masters' past activities while a student at Stanford University.

What they're saying: "Blake Masters is a desperate, power-hungry coward attempting to divide MAGA to appease his Silicon Valley puppet masters," the Hamadeh campaign said in a statement to Axios, referencing Masters' past work for PayPal founder Peter Thiel.

• The Hamadeh campaign called Masters' attacks "baseless and obnoxious lies from a bitter opponent."

Masters countered, "Hamadeh is losing badly and has resorted to repeating defamation. By contrast, every claim Masters has made is factually true."

• The campaign wouldn't comment on why it depicts Hamadeh in a traditional robe in Mecca in his ads and signs.

By the numbers: Masters is dominating the race financially. As of March 31, when the last campaign finance reporting period ended, Masters reported raising nearly $3.8 million, including $2.7 million of his own money.

• Hamadeh reported raising about $600,000, slightly more than Toma.
• Hamadeh's brother also put $1 million into a super PAC to support his campaign.

What's next: Early voting begins July 3 and the primary election is July 30.

• Franks, Hamadeh, Kern, Masters, Toma and Patrick Briody will be on the ballot in the CD8 Republican primary.