Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidates respond to allegations against Mark Lamb

Recent reports of alleged sexual impropriety and other misconduct by a high-profile Republican candidate are rocking an Arizona congressional race that was once considered a lock.

The Arizona Republic has published several stories about former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb’s behavior and alleged abuses of power. The reports are accompanied by screenshots of explicit social media messages and text messages attributed to Lamb.

Lamb, who is running to succeed Rep. Andy Biggs in Arizona’s 5th Congressional District, has declined interview requests from the Republic and KTAR News 92.3 FM.

Republican gubernatorial candidates respond to allegations against Mark Lamb

Biggs, who is running for governor, said he is following the situation but isn’t ready to pass judgment on his potential successor.

“I’ve tried to reserve judgment on this because I haven’t really heard much from him on this and I would like to hear kind of the rebuttal. And so that’s kind of where I am, is I’m reserving judgment right now,” Biggs told KTAR News’ AZ Political Podcast last week.

Another GOP congressman and gubernatorial hopeful, Rep. David Schweikert, criticized Biggs’ stance, saying it “borders on immoral” during a Wednesday segment on KTAR News’ Outspoken with Bruce & Gaydos.

Schweikert said that if Lamb isn’t willing to address the situation head-on, he should drop out of the race. He noted that he voted with the majority to kick George Santos out of Congress in 2023 after the House Ethics Committee found evidence of fraud and corruption, while Biggs voted against expelling the New York Republican.

“You will find voters can be remarkably forgiving, but you gotta explain,” Schweikert said.

Schweikert went on to criticize how fellow Republicans have responded to scandals in recent years.

“This is a sin, I believe, of my party,” he said. “We’ve decided that the method is when you have something dodgy, just attack the other side instead of own up and ask for forgiveness.”

Political strategist: ‘This is really an earthquake’

CD5 is an East Valley Republican stronghold, so the winner of July’s GOP primary was expected to easily win the November general election. That’s not so certain anymore, according to Republican political strategist Stan Barnes of Phoenix-based Copper State Consulting Group.

“This is really an earthquake in this congressional race,” Barnes told KTAR News’ Arizona’s Morning News on Thursday.

However, it’s too soon to tell if the allegations against Lamb, who has President Donald Trump’s endorsement, will change the dynamic of the race.

“Mark Lamb was so popular with so much name ID and Donald Trump’s endorsement that other great candidates got out of the race because they could not be won. And now the giant is wounded,” Barnes said.

Who is Mark Lamb’s opponent in Republican primary?

Lamb’s primary opponent, Daniel Keenan, is a political newcomer. That could work to Lamb’s advantage, Barnes said.

“There is one other Republican running on the ballot, an unknown fellow with no experience in politics with no real money to get his message out, and that is the alternative in the Republican primary,” Barnes said. “My guess is that Mark Lamb will keep his head down and will probably survive the primary because of his name identification and his Trump endorsement.”

Keenan, however, isn’t acting like he doesn’t have a chance. He has called for Lamb to drop out over the allegations of sexual impropriety in addition to accusing the former sheriff of perjury.

“This behavior is utterly unacceptable from someone who aspires to represent us in Congress. We need someone we can be proud of, not someone who will embarrass us,” Keenan said in a statement last week.

“Mark Lamb is unfit for office. He should withdraw from the race and go live his life in Tennessee, where he’s moved his family and building his home.”

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