Abraham Hamadeh (R) defeated five other candidates in the Republican primary in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District

Abraham Hamadeh (R) defeated five other candidates in the Republican primary in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District on Jul. 30, 2024. Hamadeh was among five candidates who led in endorsements, polling, fundraising, and local media attention ahead of the primary, alongside Trent Franks (R), Anthony Kern (R), Blake Masters (R), and Ben Toma (R). As of Aug. 1, 2024, Hamadeh received 29.8% of the primary vote, followed by Masters with 25.3%, Toma with 21.2%, Franks with 16.5%, and Kern with 4.7%.

Incumbent Debbie Lesko (R) did not run for re-election, leaving the district open. According to Arizona political strategist Barrett Marson, “A Republican will win in this district, no matter what, it’s just a question of what type of Republican…The road to the gavel does not run through CD-8. So it will attract money, for sure, but that’s because of the individuals as opposed to the seat.”

Hamadeh was a former Maricopa County prosecutor and U.S. Army Reserve intelligence officer. Hamadeh said he was running because “I’ve sworn an oath to protect the America that we love. I’m not done fighting for our country — I’m just getting started.” Hamadeh said he was “taking them all on—the uni-party elite, the propaganda machine in the media, the cabal of corruption in Maricopa County, and our badly-compromised courts.” Hamadeh ran for attorney general in 2022 and lost to Kris Mayes (D) by a margin of 280 votes out of more than 2.5 million cast.

Franks was a former member of the U.S. House, representing Arizona’s 2nd and 8th districts from 2003 until resigning in 2017 after discussing surrogacy arrangements with female staffers. Franks ran on his record, saying he was “a proven conservative leader for such a time as this.” Franks said he had a record of accomplishment on restricting access to abortion, securing the southern border, and limiting the size of the budget deficit.

Kern was, at the time of the election, a member of the Arizona Senate. Kern ran on his record, saying he had focused on ensuring election results reflected the will of the voters, protecting rights outlined in the Constitution, supporting restrictions on abortion, and supporting funding for parents to educate their children outside of public schools. Kern said he opposed the Arizona House’s repeal of a statute prohibiting abortion except to save the life of the mother, describing it as an example of “the continued compromise just to win elections…The voters are looking for leadership.”

Masters was a businessman with experience in software and investments. Masters said he was running because “life is getting harder for too many families in Arizona. Joe Biden’s economy is squeezing our middle class. Our border with Mexico – it’s wide open. It’s chaotic and it’s lawless.” Masters said his priorities were to “deport illegals, finish the wall, and back Trump 100%.” Masters ran for U.S. Senate in 2022 and lost to incumbent Mark Kelly (D) 51.4%–46.5%.

Toma was, at the time of the election, the speaker of the Arizona House. Toma ran on his record, saying he “authored and passed two landmark pieces of conservative legislation that were previously thought ‘impossible’ by both supporters and opponents,” referring to a bill introducing a flat tax and a bill providing funds for parents to educate their children outside of public schools. Toma said that “it’s more important to do the right thing, to actually solve problems and get meaningful legislation passed.”

Also running was Patrick Briody (R).

As of Apr. 29, 2024, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, Inside Elections with Nathan Gonzales, and Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball each rated the general election Safe/Solid Republican. Lesko defeated two write-in candidates with 96.5% of the vote in 2022.

All 435 seats are up for election. Republicans have a 220 to 213 majority with two vacancies. As of June 2024, 45 members of the U.S. House had announced they were not running for re-election.

Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Donald Trump (R) would have defeated Joe Biden (D) 56.1%-42.5%.