What to Watch Today in Arizona and Alaska Primaries

Republican candidate for state attorney general Abraham Hamadeh, Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, and Republican U.S. senatorial candidate Blake Masters wave to supporters at the conclusion of a campaign event on the eve of the primary at the Duce bar in Phoenix, Ariz., on Aug. 1, 2022. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

July 30 will see key primaries in the western U.S. states of Arizona and Alaska—two hot and cold temperature gauges for November’s presidential election.

Some races will decide the candidates in key swing districts, while others will pit well-known Republicans against each other.

It all sets the stage for November, when Republicans defend their narrow House majority and Democrats attempt to maintain their tenuous hold on the Senate.

As a presidential battleground state, Arizona’s down-ballot races will likely be a magnet for media attention and money. Meanwhile, although the presidential contest is not likely to be as competitive in heavily Republican Alaska, a House race will test a Democratic incumbent’s durability.

Here’s a preview of the most notable contests.

Arizona Senate: Kari Lake and More

On the Republican side, MAGA favorite Kari Lake is seeking the nomination for U.S. Senate. Lake is competing with Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb and neuroscientist Elizabeth Reye.

Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is running unchallenged for his party’s nomination.

Yuma resident Arturo Hernandez and businessman Mike Norton are running in the Green Party’s primary. Along with the Democrats, the Republicans, the Libertarian Party, and the No Labels Party, the Green Party has official recognition from the state.

The winner in November’s general election will replace Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), a Democrat who broke with her party in 2022. She isn’t running for reelection.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) speaks at a Senate Finance Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on Oct. 19, 2021. (Mandel Ngan/Pool/Getty Images)

At a rally in Goodyear, Arizona on July 27, Lake made her pitch to Arizonans, including to the interests of the Navajo Nation—a large geographical chunk of northeastern Arizona, and part of an American Indian community with significant clout.

“We’ve got to remind them they’re sovereign, and we need to live up to the deals that we signed with them—the treaties we signed,” she said.

Arizona House District 8: Abe Hamadeh, Blake Masters, and Others

During the Goodyear rally, Lake encouraged people to choose Abe Hamadeh in the 8th District federal primary. Attendees who spoke with The Epoch Times affirmed their support for Hamadeh, who, like Lake, has strong backing from many in the Trump base.

The former Maricopa County prosecutor’s chief rival in a crowded Republican field is venture capitalist Blake Masters, who is also appreciated by many MAGA voters. Polls show a close race between the two GOP frontrunners.

Like Lake, who lost the 2022 gubernatorial race to Democrat Katie Hobbs, they’re competing after losses during that same cycle. Masters was defeated by Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), while Hamadeh lost the attorney general race to Democrat Kris Mayes.

Former President Donald J. Trump endorsed both men in a Truth Social post over the weekend. He had previously thrown his support behind Hamadeh.

Abe Hamadeh, Republican candidate for Arizona Attorney General, speaks about the challenges facing the GOP going into the Nov. 8 election during a gathering in Sun City, Ariz., on Oct. 1, 2022. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

Biosecurity expert Gregory Whitten is the only Democrat on that party’s primary ballot.

The district is rated R+10 by the Cook Political Index, suggesting it is a relatively safe seat for the GOP. Incumbent Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) opted not to run again to represent the district, which is dominated by some of Phoenix’s northern suburbs.

Arizona House District 1: Democrats Vie to Challenge David Schweikert

Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) is seeking reelection in his state’s District 1, a swath of the Phoenix area ranked R+2 by Cook.

Though Schweikert faces businessman Robert Backie and retired federal agent Kimberly George in his party’s primary, more attention is going to a far more competitive Democratic race. Campaign finance data shows that multiple candidates have raised millions in the bid to get on the general election ballot come November.

Democratic hopefuls include businessman Andrei Cherny, who once chaired the state’s Democratic Party. Wall Street veteran Conor O’Callaghan, physician and former state senator Dr. Amish Shah, and former broadcast journalist Marlene Galán-Woods are also participating in the July 30 primary.

Galán-Woods is a former Republican and the widow of the late Republican official Grant Woods. He was Arizona’s attorney general during the 1990s.

Kurt Kroemer, past CEO of the Red Cross in the region, and Dr. Andrew Horne, an orthodontist, are in the running too.

Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) (C) speaks during a news conference to introduce a GOP-sponsored Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac reform plan at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on March 29, 2011. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In an interview with The Epoch Times, Horne, like other Democrats in the state, stressed abortion—a central issue for his party this cycle and the basis for a measure that may appear on the November ballot.

“Men and women will be coming out to support their abortion rights and to remove David Schweikert,” he predicted.

A different measure that may be on the same ballot, the “Secure Border Act,” touches on border security, a major concern for Republicans.

Arizona House District 6: A Rematch Shapes Up in Southern Arizona

The Sixth District is also only narrowly Republican, according to Cook. Incumbent Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.) won the seat in 2022, defeating University of Arizona law professor Kirsten Engel.

Marketer Kathleen Winn is challenging Ciscomani in the Republican primary to represent the territory, which includes much of southeastern Arizona, including land along the border with Mexico.

Engel is the only Democrat in contention.

Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) (C) talks to reporters following a GOP caucus meeting at the Republican National Committee offices on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 28, 2023. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

At a canvassing event on July 28 in Tucson, she told The Epoch Times she anticipates she can beat Ciscomani this go-around.

“I very, very narrowly lost to him last time,” she said.

Describing some of her top concerns, she mentioned climate change and the high temperatures just outside the event. Tucson repeatedly broke its daily heat record during July. Engel attributed high utility costs in the state to a lack of spending on alternative energy sources.

Alaska At-Large District: A Free-For-All on the Last Frontier

Another relative newcomer to the House, Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska), will face an even more direct test than Engel on July 30.

She is competing against Republicans and others in the state’s nonpartisan primary. The top four finishers in that contest will be positioned to appear on the November ballot.

Republican hopefuls include businessman Nick Begich III. He belongs to the Begich political family, a Democratic dynasty in the state.

“Try being a Republican Begich in Alaska,” he quipped in an interview with The Epoch Times.

Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom, another Republican, is on the ballot too. She received the Trump endorsement, which is increasingly coveted among Republicans in the party he reshaped.

Mary Peltola leaves a voting booth while early voting, in Anchorage, Alaska, on Aug. 12, 2022. (Mark Thiessen, File/AP Photo)

The two substantively agree on policy, including energy in the oil-rich state.

“In Alaska, it’s critical that we unleash our resources,” Dahlstrom said in an interview with The Epoch Times.

“We have energy in abundance here,” Begich said.

Others on the ballot include John Wayne Howe of the Alaskan Independence Party, who has a machine shop in Fairbanks.

“Independence for every individual Alaskan is our goal and must be executed by all peaceful and lawful means,” he told The Epoch Times.