Former Pinal County sheriff Mark Lamb defeated self-funded businessman Daniel Keenan in the open Republican primary for Arizona’s 5th Congressional District on Tuesday evening, as the law enforcement officer rose above his sex scandal allegations to make it to the general election.
Lamb, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, had 58.4% of the vote as of Wednesday morning, compared to Keenan’s 41.6%. Lamb’s win marks another Grand Canyon State victory for the president’s endorsement, showing how far Trump’s and Turning Point USA’s backing can take a GOP primary candidate in the state, even through a scandal.
Lamb will take on nurse Elizabeth Lee, who won the Democratic primary with 65.2% of the vote, in the November general election to fill the vacant U.S. House seat left by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), who is running for governor. Biggs won his gubernatorial primary on Tuesday night as well. In Biggs’s deep-red district, Lamb is all but assured to win in the general election.
“Thank you Arizona. I am truly humbled by your support. I will never let you down,” Lamb said in a statement Wednesday morning.
In the GOP primary battle, Lamb had led in most of the limited polling in the race between two pro-MAGA GOP candidates. However, Keenan saw an opening in the final months of the primary after a May Arizona Republic investigation reported multiple allegations of sexual improprieties against Lamb.
The outlet reported that several women accused Lamb and his wife of engaging in sexually explicit conversations with them and said Lamb used his role as county sheriff as leverage to suppress the allegations. Lamb has denied all of the allegations made against him.
But the allegations were not enough to topple Lamb, whose freedom and liberty-based campaign took him across the primary finish line by double digits.
BIGGS WINS REPUBLICAN PRIMARY, WILL FACE HOBBS IN ARIZONA GOVERNOR RACE
Lee, Lamb’s general election opponent, has prioritized issues such as healthcare, abortion, and the 2026 standard affordability-centric issues.
Cook Political Report lists the district as a solid Republican district, following years of Biggs retaining his seat by large double-digit margins. Trump won the district by about 20 percentage points in 2024.