Former Arizona Attorney General Candidate Abe Hamadeh Announces Congressional Run

Arizona attorney general candidate Abe Hamadeh at the Cochise County Sheriffs Office in Sierra Vista, Ariz., on Nov. 4, 2022. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Former Arizona attorney general candidate Abe Hamadeh will be running for a U.S. House of Representatives seat next year, he announced on Oct. 17.

Mr. Hamadeh, a Republican and avid supporter of former President Donald Trump, revealed he would be running for Arizona’s 8th Congressional District in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.

His announcement came shortly after Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) said she would not be seeking reelection as the representative of the district—which includes suburbs north and west of Phoenix—in 2024 and will instead prioritize spending time with her family.

“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,” Mr. Hamadeh wrote. “President Trump is under attack. He needs backup — and I’m ready to help him Make America Great Again.”

Mr. Hamadeh also responded to Ms. Lesko’s statement announcing her intent not to run for office next year and thanked her for her “years of service to Arizona.”

In her statement announcing her decision not to seek reelection next year, Ms. Lesko cited her husband, 94-year-old mother, three children, and five grandchildren and her desire to spend more time with family.

‘Washington, D.C. Is Broken’

“Spending, on average, three weeks out of every month away from my family, and traveling back and forth to Washington, D.C. almost every weekend is difficult,” the Republican congresswoman said.

She also claimed that Washington, D.C. is “broken,” adding that it is currently “hard to get anything done.”

The 64-year-old noted that she plans to continue to work “to improve Congress” and to help her constituents in Arizona’s eighth district.

“I want to thank all of the people who have supported me throughout the years. Please know that my office and I will continue to passionately serve our constituents and our nation until the end of my term in January 2025,” Ms. Lesko said.

A former school board member who previously served in both the House and Senate in Arizona’s state Legislature, Ms. Lesko assumed office in 2018 after winning a special election in 2018 to fill the vacant seat left by former Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.).

Ms. Lesko, who founded the Protect Kids Caucus and serves as co-chair of the Women in Stem Caucus, the Values Action Team, and the Congressional Western Caucus, did not have a Democratic challenger in November’s election and won reelection with 96.5 percent of the vote.

Hamadeh Secures Kari Lake Endorsement

Mr. Hamadeh, meanwhile, previously ran in the general election for Arizona’s attorney general against current Attorney General Kris Mayes, to whom he lost by just under 300 votes.

Mr. Hamadeh—who was endorsed by President Trump during his attorney general run—later filed a lawsuit challenging the results of the election and alleging that widespread “errors and inaccuracies” caused voter disenfranchisement, but the legal challenge was ultimately dismissed by an Arizona judge.

Mr. Hamadeh, who is the first candidate to announce he is running for Ms. Lesko’s position, was swiftly endorsed by Senate candidate Kari Lake on Tuesday, who officially announced she would be running for the seat currently held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) last week.

“After many years of service to our great state, Debbie Lesko has announced that she will not be seeking re-election,” Ms. Lake posted on X. “I sure hope my friend @AbrahamHamadeh considers running! #AZ08 deserves a fighter & Abe is one of the toughest in Arizona.”

Ms. Lake has also received an endorsement from President Trump.