A Trump-backed Arizona candidate faces tough House primary after sex scandals
A self-funded businessman is using complex scandals to oust President Donald Trump’s endorsed nominee for a deep-red House seat.
Republican Daniel Keenan is waging a tough fight against former Sheriff Mark Lamb in Arizona’s 5th District, pouring $1.6 million of his own money into the effort and raising questions about Lamb’s fitness for office after a series of sex scandals. The race will test whether GOP voters care more about the allegations or whether Trump’s support is enough to get him across the finish line.
A. multi-part Arizona Republic investigation Lamb was allegedly engaged in a years-long pattern of behavior sending sexual images And provoke intimate encounters between himself, his wife and others. A woman involved, Jillian Stannard, was allegedly killed by Lamb. encouraged her husband Having sex with other women, including Lamb’s wife. Lamb also had a claim. threatened himStannard said there would be consequences when he voiced his concerns to leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which both Lamb and Stannard are members. Screenshots obtained from Republic’s messages with another woman, Tammy Peacock, show that Lamb (then a sitting county sheriff) threatened to take advantage Arizona’s revenge porn law against him. Lamb spokesman Ed Morabito said in a statement that “these allegations are false and come from long-discredited political rivals.”
Reached for comment Wednesday, Stannard said the allegations reported by The Republic were “true and accurate.” Peacock passed away in 2021.
“There’s a guy who goes around saying, ‘God, family freedom,’ sending nude pictures of himself and his wife, encouraging his friends and employees to have sexual intercourse with his wife,” Keenan said in an interview about the allegations this week, repeating similar attacks he’s made in campaign ads. he said. “This isn’t ‘God, family freedom.’ It shows you’re morally bankrupt.”
Lamb spokesman Morabito said the candidate has Trump’s support and is “confident that Republican voters will side with him.”
“[Keenan] Attacking a Democrat doesn’t spend a penny, attacking a Republican spends millions. In his statement, Morabito stated that name identity is less than 30 percent and is not a serious factor in this race.
Janel Lamb is Mark Lamb’s wife. A Facebook post in May said: “A massive smear campaign will certainly not stop us from doing what we know is right.”
The outcome of the race will reveal the strength of Trump’s support in the deep-red Phoenix area. Already this year, GOP primary voters were willing to accept the scandal-ridden candidates Trump favored. Republican primary voters in Texas nominated scandal-plagued Attorney General Ken Paxton over incumbent GOP Sen. John Cornyn.
“I have never seen stronger support in Republican politics than Trump’s in my life,” said former Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.), who represents the 5th District. “And I think the base within the Republican party would rather do anything than stand up to Trump.”
Keenan has He put in more than $1.6 million of his own money is incorporating it into his campaign and using it to ensure voters know all about the news. His campaign spent more than $1.8 million on TV ads Lists the allegations in Cumhuriyetit also hosts multiple town halls per week and also invests significant money in mail advertising. Meanwhile, Lamb’s campaign hasn’t put a dime into broadcasts, according to tracking service AdImpact.
Lamb was also examined as he spent most of his time on a farm in Tennessee and not in the district he is trying to represent. And Keenan is attacking him on another important issue for Arizona Republicans: Trump’s baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen.
“[Lamb] “Whatever he thinks about election fraud,” Keenan told POLITICO. Testified on behalf of Democrats He said there was no fraud and that President Trump lost the election. “I think all of this is disqualifying to represent this district.”
There is some evidence that speech to voters is on the decline. One Internal poll from Keenan’s campaign Data obtained by POLITICO shows Keenan leading Lamb by 42 percent to 40 percent; This is within a very small part of the survey’s margin of error. The campaign’s first poll in late June had shown Lamb ahead 43 percent to 35 percent.
Keenan said he has been in contact with the White House about his proposal and has always been a committed supporter of Trump. He also said the fact that Georgia businessman Rick Jackson won the recent gubernatorial primary without Trump’s endorsement shows that he can win without the president’s endorsement, even if it’s difficult.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Still, Lamb’s allies are taking notice of Keenan’s rise. Washington-based Club for Growth He poured $250,000 Keenan says this was a sign of Lamb’s weakness: “There would be no reason for them to do this if he wasn’t in trouble,” Keenan said. Asked about the expenses, the Club spokesperson drew attention to the expenses. own internal survey We see that a few weeks ago Lamb had a 34 point lead.
Lamb was never charged with a crime for his alleged actions. Pinal County prosecutor’s investigation No criminal offense foundbut also concluded that a previous district attorney not enough research has been done accusations.
“I know him. I’ve seen him. I’ve seen him stand up for the right things over and over again,” said Tyler Farnsworth, the Arizona House Republican candidate in Gilbert. “My belief is that voters in CD5 saw who Mark Lamb was.”
“I tend to believe what I see outside of the legal system and the justice system a lot more than some of the news that might be deliberately biased,” he added.
The women in the Republic investigation said they repeatedly voiced their concerns to Latter-day Saint church leaders. It is unclear what disciplinary action, if any, the church has taken: The church does not publicly disclose its membership status or disciplinary actions. The church did not respond to a request for comment.
The stories made waves in the area’s large Latter-day Saint community. Arizona’s 5th District—sometimes colloquially referred to as “Mormon territory”—includes parts of Gilbert, Queen Creek, and Mesa; these are all areas with significant Latter-day Saint populations.
“When you see the picture of her in her baptismal robe, with her brother and his wife, whom she baptized, and having an open marriage with this man, that doesn’t seem to meet our gospel standards,” said Suzanne Lunt, an independent voter in Gilbert. your allegations. lunt helped organize Latter-day Saints against Trump in 2024.
In late May, as Republican reports shook the valley, a group of prominent Latter-day Saint politicians and strategists banded together to remove Lamb from the race, warning that Lamb could make the seat a vulnerability for Republicans in November or hold back statewide Republicans in the critical gubernatorial race. But that pressure eased once it became clear that neither Lamb nor his supporters would back down.
“There hasn’t been a greater effort because there is no serious opponent who is well-financed enough to get the numbers close,” said political operative Tyler Montague, a Mesa-based Latter-day Saint. “So there’s no real movement elsewhere.”
Keenan disagrees, arguing that Lamb’s scandals could put the Trump-gone district “at risk” by 20 points.
“I don’t actually like it [Keenan]Amy Wudel, a Republican in Gilbert, said: “For what I would generally vote for, he’s a little bit on the extreme side.” But Wudel, who last term worked for an independent challenger against Rep. Andy Biggs in the 5th District, will vote for Keenan because “I do not vote for candidates who do not demonstrate character worthy of office.”
Keenan still faces an uphill battle. His own poll shows the huge name ID gap he faces — when voters were asked about their views on Keenan and Lamb, a third said they were unsure about Keenan, while only 11 percent said the same about Lamb.
It’s unclear how much of the confusion will resonate with voters. The Arizona legislature moved the primary election date from early August to late July; This means thousands of voters cast ballots via mail-in balloting or early voting. The timing of the primary could also lead to a low-turnout event: Since many Phoenix-area public schools return in late July or early August, many families are trying to beat the heat by taking late summer trips.
“This time of year, on any given week, the lines are empty on Sunday and everyone is in Show Low, Flagstaff or San Diego,” said Republican strategist Chad Heywood, who is neutral on the race.
Meanwhile, Lamb’s supporters, especially Trump strengthens his support Lamb posted on social media on Sunday without mentioning the scandals. Fans are pointing to the 2024 elections to show their dominance in the 5th District. Lamb ran for Senate and, despite being defeated by Karl Lake in the primary, managed to win his home state of Pinal County by 25 points. One of the allies pointed out that Lamb received a standing ovation at a meeting with Republican women in June, long after the allegations became public. And his allies in Congress are on his side: Lamb’s campaign has sent out fundraising requests From House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) in recent weeks.
Even Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz). it has been said before Lamb’s “borderline immoral” activity and Lamb’s stance that he should withdraw from the race if he is not willing to answer the charges now keep the race at arm’s length.
“I stay away [District] “5, because this is not my district,” Schweikert said in an interview at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. “If that’s good enough for his constituents, I mean, they’re the ones in the district.”
