Rep. Joseph Chaplik resigning from Arizona Legislature to focus on congressional run

PHOENIX — Republican Arizona state Rep. Joseph Chaplik will resign from the Legislature to focus on his campaign for the hotly contested race for U.S. Rep. David Schweikert’s seat in Congress.

“I cannot fully commit to the Legislature demands and campaign for Congress at the same time, so to best serve my constituents and all my supporters, I will plan to resign from the chamber next week sometime,” Chaplik said Thursday in a speech on the House Floor.

His current term was set to end on Jan. 11, 2027.

Chaplik, who has private sector experience in commercial real estate and telecommunications, has served three terms in the state House, where he represents District 3.

🚨 CAMPAIGN UPDATE:

With all the support behind me for the run for the Congressional seat (CD1) that David Schweikert is stepping down from, I am going to be resigning from AZLEG next week.

To best serve my constituents, I am fully committing to our campaign.

More to follow. pic.twitter.com/H15uGvaTvv

— Rep. Joseph Chaplik 🇺🇸 (@JosephChaplik) February 19, 2026

Schweikert is leaving Congress after eight terms to run for governor in the GOP primary.

Joseph Chaplik resigning from Legislature to focus on CD-1 campaign

A total of 25 candidates have filed statements of interest to run for Schweikert’s 1st Congressional District seat.

Chaplik’s endorsement list includes 25 current or former state lawmakers as well as Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan and Recorder Justin Heap.

His top competition in the Republican primary will likely be former Cardinals kicker Jay Feely, who has President Donald Trump’s endorsement.

The primary election is scheduled for July 21, while the general election will take place Nov. 3.

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