Republicans Battle to Unseat Stanton in Arizona’s Congressional District 4

Christy Kelly
Arizona CD 4

The Republicans are trying to unseat Democrat Greg Stanton in Congressional District 4 (CD-4), who has won three consecutive terms. This district covers all of Tempe and parts of Mesa, Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Chandler.

The Cook Political Report lists Stanton’s seat as a solid Democrat despite CD-4 having a “D+2” rating. This means, on average, a Democratic candidate in this district would perform 2 percentage points better than the national average for Democratic candidates. This district is labeled “solid Democrat” instead of “lean Democrat” due to Stanton’s incumbent status and significant war chest of  $1,517,082.

The 2024 Republican primary contenders include businessman Kelly Cooper, Jerone Davison, Dave Giles, and Zuhdi Jasser. All the Republican candidates vying for this seat, except for Jasser, have previously run for the U.S. House, with some making multiple attempts.

Republicans have been featured in two televised debates, April 18 and May 29, hosted by the Clean Elections Commission.

Kelly Cooper

Cooper told The Arizona Sun Times that he is running for Congress because she cares “deeply about the issues that are currently plaguing our communities.”

“Building and maintaining a stable, healthy economy; securing the rights of parents in their children’s education; keeping communities safe through strong borders and defenses: all issues near and dear to my heart,” he said.

Cooper added, “The choice is clear, my opponents either live FAR out of district, completely disconnected from our needs and are trying to buy this seat or believe in Qanon conspiracy theories and have no solutions for the challenges at our kitchen tables. We need a common sense conservatives to fight for this district.”

The East Valley Young Republicans are backing Cooper.

The group said after the first debate, “The GOP needs to unite behind Kelly Cooper in CD-4 so we can beat and retire Greg Stanton.”

Other notable endorsements include former gubernatorial hopeful Karin Taylor Robson and Representative Debbie Lesko (R-AZ-08).  In a televised PBS debate , Kelly said he was the only “America First candidate qualified to represent CD-4.” In his previous attempt, Cooper earned the endorsement of former President Donald Trump.

Cooper is a restaurant and business leader from Chandler, Arizona. His second bid for Congress builds on his previous campaign from 2022, during which he was defeated by Stanton. His earlier run focused on traditional conservative values, emphasizing economic issues such as inflation and supply chain challenges. Cooper’s campaign also highlighted his background as a successful business operator who navigated the difficulties of the pandemic, underscoring his understanding of American businesses’ struggles.

In his current campaign, Cooper said he continues to advocate for strong economic policies, border security, and veterans’ affairs. Copper also said he has new commitments to election integrity, education reforms, and Second Amendment rights. He told The Sun Times that his platform addresses government overreach and states’ rights, aligning with his conservative values and experience as a community leader and entrepreneur.

The last financial disclosure showed that Cooper raised $356,653.

Cooper shared with The Sun Times the results of an internal poll conducted between May 10 and May 14, which placed him in the lead. The poll had a sample size of 534 likely voters.

Jerone Davison

Davison told The Sun Times that his campaign stood out because of his commitment on issues like the Ukraine funding bill.

“My experience as a motivational speaker and advocate for reducing living costs uniquely positions me against Greg Stanton. By leveraging my pastoral background, I aim to engage the influential faith community, crucial for a Republican victory,” the candidate said.

“With nearly three decades of respected service and a unique connection to voters through my sports background, I am confident in my appeal to a broad electorate. My viral ad #makeriflesgreatagain has already attracted over 100 million views nationally, setting a strong foundation for a formidable challenge in the general election,” he added.

Davison, a former NFL player turned pastor, launched his second campaign for Arizona’s 4th Congressional District.

He told The Arizona Sun Times that “the 2024 election is a referendum on Joe Biden’s failed policies, we can’t win with moderate capitulations as my primary opponents are attempting to do.“

Davidson also said, “We must boldly support President Trump’s agenda of deportations, cleaning up the border, and the kitchen table policies that keep dollars in the pockets of Americans, not globalist environmental fraudsters. I’m focused on the American people and their needs not funding never ending wars.”

Davison returns with his 2022 platform this year, positioning himself as the MAGA populist candidate. He told The Sun Times that he advocates for strict border security, creating an “Internet Bill of Rights” to protect online freedoms, enhancements to election integrity, and educational reforms.

Some of his endorsements include Roger Stone, Veterans for Trump, and LUCA. Among the four contenders, Davison is trailing in fundraising.

Zuhdi Jasser

Jasser told The Sun Times that he’s proud to be a first-time candidate and said he believes it’s a strength.

“I’ve spent my career in service, for 11 years in the U.S. Navy, as a physician to Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court, as an appointed member of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, and as a practicing primary care physician taking care of thousands of families from the district for over 25 years. With the right candidate, we can replace the disastrous leadership of Greg Stanton, who has forgotten our community and been a rubber stamp for the failed policies of the Biden Administration,” he said.

Jasser said “this district is winnable.”

“It’s a split district, and it no longer makes sense for it to be represented by a Biden rubber-stamping, far-left Democrat like Greg Stanton. In the last election, two of my opponents in this current race lost to Kelly Cooper in the primary. Cooper then went on to underperform Donald Trump and lose to Greg Stanton by a devastating 13 points. There’s a reason for that,” he said.

The Sun Times asked Jasser to address the concerns that he lives out of district.

“Representation is about who you serve, not just where you live. For 25 years, I’ve practiced primary care medicine in Phoenix with over a third of my patients coming from this district. I’ve been honored to serve as the physician for generations of District 4 families and I look forward to representing them in Congress — where they are currently being poorly served by Greg Stanton,” the candidate said.

According to Big League Politics, Jasser has a history of being anti-Trump. Jasser told The Sun Times that a “significant number of conservatives,” including Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, in 2016 when Trump became the GOP candidate in 2016. The doctor said he has a “strong track record” of supporting the former president and “his policies for over eight years.”

“I was the first candidate in this race to endorse President Trump. Our country was safer and more prosperous under his leadership and I look forward to seeing him re-elected in November,” he said.

Jasser added The Sun Times, “While I’m a lifelong, battle-tested conservative, Kelly Cooper didn’t even register as a Republican until 2021 — right before running for office. As recently as 2016, he requested and voted in the Green Party primary and in 2014, he requested a Democrat primary ballot.”    

On May 29, Jasser and these candidates participated in a debate before the state GOP’s July 30th primary.

After the debate, Jasser told The Sun Times that he is the candidate “best positioned and most equipped to take on Greg Stanton.”

“I am the only candidate who has presented a clear and detailed plan to secure the border, reform the asylum process, crack down on sanctuary cities, deport Biden’s illegals, intensify vetting, and rein in Biden’s abuse of executive authority to allow in millions of illegal immigrants,” he said.

“I have the broadest base of support within the conservative movement, with endorsements ranging from Charlie Kirk to Glenn Beck, Hugh Hewitt, and former Senator Jon Kyl. I’m the most battle tested, having taken on radical Islamists globally post 9/11and standing up to the medical establishment and the weaponization of medicine during COVID-19,” he continued.

As of the last financial disclosure, Jasser has raised $428,274.

Dave Giles

Giles has repeatedly run for Congress, competing for Arizona’s 9th Congressional District in the 2016 and 2018 elections. He also entered the Republican primary for Arizona’s CD 4 in 2022 and is running again this year. Among the candidates, he has raised the second smallest amount of money and seldom appears at political events in the district. He did not respond to The Sun Times for this article.

Primary election day is July 30. The last day to register to vote in the primary election is July 1.

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Christy Kelly is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Christy on Twitter / X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “David Giles” by David Giles. Photo “Zuhdi Jasser” by Zuhdi Jasser. Photo “Kelly Cooper” by Kelly Cooper. Photo “Jerone Davison” by Jerone Davison.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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