Republican CD1 hopefuls await Arizona primary results

[00:00:00]of one. Thanks. Uh what about the Republican primary? Let's continue our coverage of CD1 with Chase Go Lightly who's live in Scottsdale. Chase, >> Mark, all eyes across the nation are on this one race. As we mentioned, whoever wins the seat in November could determine which party controls the US House of Representatives. Now, talking about these GOP candidates, they come from all different types of backgrounds.

[00:00:25]And we asked about their key priorities, they all shared pretty much the same view. So, we also asked them what separates them from their GOP opponents.

[00:00:35]All eyes are on Arizona's Congressional District 1 race, one of the very few competitive races in the entire country.

[00:00:42]It's currently being held by Republican Congressman David Schweikert, but it's up for grabs now since he announced his run for Arizona Governor. The three candidates on the Republican side hoping to fill that seat come from various backgrounds. a state lawmaker, defense tech CEO, and a former Arizona Cardinals football player. Jay Feelely spent 14 years in the NFL, then became a broadcaster for CBS. He's the only candidate in this race that has President Donald Trump's endorsement.

[00:01:10]>> We need people wanting to go there to be a civil servant, not to enrich themselves, that are going to stand up for their beliefs, but also stand up for the people. And uh, you know, I think that's exactly who I am.

[00:01:19]>> It's his first time running for public office. Same with John Troba, a defense tech CEO who is endorsed by Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell and the Arizona Police Association. There's never been a conservative uh tech CEO in Congress, and I intend to go to Congress and be the guy that helped bridges that.

[00:01:36]>> Former state representative Joseph Chaplick's campaign never got back to us for a sit down interview. During the Arizona Clean Elections debate, he claimed to have more than 100 endorsements, including from Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan and County Recorder Justin Heap.

[00:01:51]>> I can hit the ground running in DC with that experience. I've helped get two and a half% flat tax that I sponsored for you. I helped get school choice, which is leading the nation. When it came to the issues, everyone had the same priorities they would focus on if elected. Keeping the border secure, improving the economy, water security.

[00:02:09]All are in favor of the president's Save America Act and keeping elections secure. So we asked the candidates if their views are pretty much the same.

[00:02:16]What separates them from their opponents? I have a deep geopolitical and broad understanding of what's happening around the world. Appreciate my opponents. They're most both nice gentlemen, but we have very different professional uh backgrounds and I think I bring that to the table. I'm the only one with a proven record, proven flawless voting record for this district. I've represented the district well and I've been serving for six years in this district.

[00:02:39]>> Spending 10 years on national TV every Sunday broadcasting, talking to, you know, the viewers and and talking about the game I love in football, uh, has prepared me for that opportunity. And I think we need leaders who are willing to talk to people that completely disagree with them.

[00:02:53]>> But it's not just Republicans they have to convince. What makes this district so competitive is the more than 170,000 independent voters they have to sway to their side.

[00:03:04]>> And you can ask about those bills that I've sponsored. They were good for all Arizona. Not not just the Republican party. They weren't just bills that I ran for the Republican party. These are bills that were good for everybody.

[00:03:15]>> I think most people, whether you're Republican, whether you're a Democrat or independent, we want first the right economic environment. You know, you look at $40 trillion in debt grown at a trillion every hundred days and neither party does anything about it.

[00:03:28]>> I talk common sense, talk about fiscal policy, talk about the things that we need to address and people can get on board with that. And it's not about being Democrat or Republican. It's about the best answer for all of us.

[00:03:42]>> Now, according to NextGen polling that came out in June and April of this year, the two front runners are Feelely and Chaplain. But we also know that money plays a big part in these races. And when it comes to that, according to federal filings, Feelely has raised the most at 2.5 million, followed by John Troba, who's raised 1.1 million, and Chaplick raising $800,000. We'll have to see how it all plays out when those initial results come out. We're live in Scottsdale, Chase Lightly, 12 News.

[00:04:10]>> All right, Chase. Thanks. Expect