Abe Hamadeh, the former Republican candidate for Arizona Attorney General, announced on Tuesday that he intends to run for U.S. House to represent Arizona’s 8th District following the news that Representative Debbie Lesko (R-AZ-08) will not seek re-election in 2024.
“Our country is in desperate need of courageous fighters, and that’s why I’m proud to announce I’m running for Congress in Arizona’s 8th District,” wrote Hamadeh in a post on X, formerly Twitter. The candidate added that former President Donald Trump “is under attack” and “needs backup.”
Hamadeh said, “I’m ready to help [Trump] Make America Great Again.”
Our country is in desperate need of courageous fighters, and that’s why I’m proud to announce I’m running for Congress in Arizona’s 8th District.
President Trump is under attack.
He needs back up — and I’m ready to help him Make America Great Again. pic.twitter.com/bN4Z1TZUns
— Abe Hamadeh (@AbrahamHamadeh) October 18, 2023
Hamadeh’s previous race for Arizona Attorney General became the closest in the state’s history, with nearly 300 votes between him and Mayes. Hamadeh has continued to contest his election, arguing the remaining uncounted ballots would give him the edge over Mayes and prove he won in 2022. He recently appealed his 280-vote loss in court but was denied an expedited hearing.
Explaining his refusal to concede and reticence to launch another campaign, Hamadeh recently vowed that he “won’t stop fighting” for election integrity, explaining he expects “the will of the people” to be honored in Arizona.
His announcement came on the heels of Lesko’s decision “not to run for reelection in 2024,” which she explained in a statement was motivated by her desire to “spend more time with my husband, my 94-year-old mother, my three children, and my five grandchildren.” Lesko will serve the remainder of her term and leave office in January 2025.
Just after Lesko announced her departure from Congress and before Hamadeh announced his campaign, Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake urged him to consider running for Lesko’s open seat, calling him “one of the toughest in Arizona.” The two shared a close relationship on the campaign trail, and Hamadeh endorsed Lake’s bid for Senate before her official announcement.
After many years of service to our great state, Debbie Lesko has announced that she will not be seeking re-election.
I sure hope my friend @AbrahamHamadeh considers running! #AZ08 deserves a fighter & Abe is one of the toughest in Arizona. pic.twitter.com/uv3K3KPX80
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) October 17, 2023
However, Hamadeh may not be the only high-profile Republican considering a run for Arizona’s 8th District.
Shortly after Lesko announced her plans to retire, campaign reporter Ally Mutnick claimed on X that former Arizona Senate candidate Blake Masters is considering the seat and reported that the influential conservative Club for Growth “has reached out to urge Masters to run.”
Masters has not publicly denied the rumor but called Lesko “a great public servant for Arizonans” whom he “got to know” on the campaign trail in a post on X.
“She loves our state and we are better off for her service,” Masters added.
The district is considered solidly Republican, and in 2022, Lesko did not face an opposing candidate from the Democratic Party. Trump carried the district by 13 points in 2020.
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Tom Pappert is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Tom on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Abe Hamadeh” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.Â
