by Cameron Arcand
Former President Donald Trump endorsed former Republican Arizona Attorney General nominee Abe Hamadeh in the competitive primary race to replace Rep. Debbie Lesko.
The endorsement is notable because former Senate nominee Blake Masters is also in the race, and he was also endorsed like Hamadeh was in their losing 2022 bids.
In a post on Trump’s social media platform “Truth Social” explaining his decision to give his “Complete and Total Endorsement” to Hamadeh.
“Abe Hamadeh is a veteran, a former prosecutor and fearless fighter for our elections,” Trump posted. “He will be a true WARRIOR in Congress, and always put America First!”
“He knows that if the flame of freedom is extinguished, it may never come back again,” the former president added.
The congressional candidate welcomed the endorsement.
“Thank you Mr. President, I can’t wait to fight alongside you to restore the America we love,” Hamadeh posted to X, formerly known as Twitter.
🚨🚨BREAKING🚨🚨
Thank you Mr. President, I can’t wait to fight alongside you to restore the America we love.
“President Donald Trump endorses Abe Hamadeh for Congress” pic.twitter.com/U9e0lVG53b
— Abe Hamadeh (@AbrahamHamadeh) December 8, 2023
Hamadeh and Masters ran as a ticket with former gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake, who is now running for Senate. Lake is a vocal advocate for the Trump re-election campaign, and she’s also endorsed Hamadeh instead of Masters.
Both Lake and Hamadeh took legal steps following their losses to fight the results. Hamadeh lost his race to Democrat Kris Mayes by 280 votes.
Masters lost to Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly by nearly 126,000 votes, whereas Lake lost by slightly over 17,000. Masters conceded the results of his race and did not take any legal action in the aftermath.
As Arizona’s 8th Congressional District is heavily Republican-leaning, Trump’s endorsement could have a positive impact on Hamadeh. However, Hamadeh and Masters are just two candidates in a crowded field. State House Speaker Ben Toma and state Sen. Anthony Kern are also in the race.
Former Congressman Trent Franks, who was Lesko’s predecessor, also made a surprise entrance into the race, despite the fact that he resigned in 2017 due to a sexual harassment scandal, The Center Square reported in November.
As for retiring Lesko, she endorsed Toma to be her successor.
“I’m proud to endorse [Rep. Ben Toma]!, she said in a post on Nov. 2. “Ben Toma lives in our district. He knows our district. He cares about the people that live in our district.”
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Cameron Arcand is a staff reporter at The Center Square.
Photo “Abe Hamadeh” by Abe Hamadeh.
