Republican Representative David Schweikert has secured the party’s nomination to retain one of Arizona’s most at-risk congressional seats, which Democrats are keen to flip come November.
Currently representing the 1st Congressional District, Schweikert narrowly reclaimed his seat in 2022 by fewer than 1%, and he entered the primary as the leading candidate.
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Rep. David Schweikert speaks during a markup hearing, Sept. 14, 2021, on Capitol Hill. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Schweikert’s main challengers included businessman Robert Backie and former FBI agent Kim George. According to Axios, Schweikert led in fundraising efforts, accumulating $2.5 million, while two leading Democrats raised approximately $1.5 million each.
Having served in the House for almost 15 years, Schweikert has successfully been re-elected in various redrawn districts since beginning his tenure in 2010.
Potential candidates aiming to unseat him in the upcoming election included former state party chair and 2010 state treasurer candidate Andrei Cherny, ex-local news anchor Marlene Galán-Woods, orthodontist Andrew Horne, former regional American Red Cross CEO Kurt Kroemer, investment banker Conor O’Callaghan, and former state Representative Amish Shah. The outcomes of the primary were unknown by the time this was published.
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The Cook Political Report characterizes the race as a toss-up, assigning it an R+2 rating, indicating a slight advantage for Schweikert, but this assessment was made prior to the determination of the Democratic nominee.
As one of the focal points this election season, Arizona features closely watched races in both the House and Senate, as well as a presidential contest that could be decided by narrow margins.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema attends a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on March 15, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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In the Arizona legislature, Republicans maintain a slim majority, and Democrats are optimistic about reclaiming both chambers. Achieving this would mark the first time Democrats took control of the House since 1966. The race attracting the most national scrutiny is that to fill the seat of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, the former Democrat-turned-independent who is not running for a second six-year Senate term.
Contributions to this report were made by Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and The Associated Press.
