GOP Congressional candidate Jay Feely says his Trump endorsement means more than opponent’s

PHOENIX — Former Arizona Cardinals kicker and current Republican congressional candidate Jay Feely feels that his endorsement from President Donald Trump for Arizona’s 1st Congressional District (CD1) means more than his fellow candidate Gina Swoboda’s.

Both Feely and Swoboda are running to replace outgoing U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, who is running for governor.

In his dual endorsement of the pair, Trump called both Feely and Swoboda “two highly respected America-first patriots.”

Despite the mutual praise, Feely told KTAR News 92.3 FM that he believes his endorsement from Trump holds more weight.

“I don’t think President Trump would have endorsed me if he felt like Gina could win the seat,” Feely said. “He wouldn’t have had to.”

Feely made the comments while speaking with Jim Sharpe for an episode of the AZ Political Podcast.

“She’s done an excellent job at trying to help conservative policies here in Arizona,” Feely added. “I think she’s a very smart woman who understands the political process very well. I just think for me it’s about trying to keep the seat and that is the primary focus. I’m committed to it.”

Jay Feely cites Trump, others asking him to switch and run in CD1

When Feely started his political campaign in April, he was running for Arizona’s 5th Congressional District. However, in December, he called an audible and pivoted to campaigning for CD1.

According to Feely, the decision to move districts came after Trump and other Republican leadership asked him to.

“They said, ‘Jay, we really need somebody in that seat. We don’t think we have anybody in the seat that can hold the seat’,” Feely said. “They were worried about losing this seat in a swing district, in a midterm election where we’re going to have headwinds and this seat is going to be one of the most important seats in the country. And they couldn’t afford to lose that seat.”

In addition to Trump’s endorsement, Feely noted that he has also been endorsed by Speaker Mike Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and other leadership in Washington.

“I think they want to coalesce around one candidate to make sure that we don’t have a primary where we’re beating each other up and we’re spending a lot of money when we know how important the general is going to be,” Feely said.

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