By Matthew Holloway |
Former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema told Arizona business and political leaders she voted for Republican congressional candidate Jay Feely in the primary.
Citing two people present for the conversations, Axios reported that Sinema described Feely as “commonsense” and a “fiscal conservative.” The outlet said the discussions occurred during informal meetings over the preceding month and that Sinema indicated she was likely to support him in November.
According to one source cited by Axios, Sinema indicated that she viewed Feely as the best person to help address Arizona’s water crisis, including cutbacks to the state’s share of the Colorado River.
Feely, a former NFL kicker backed by President Donald Trump, faces Democrat Amish Shah in Arizona’s First Congressional District. The seat is open following Republican Rep. David Schweikert’s unsuccessful bid for governor. Shah, an emergency physician, defeated Marlene Galán-Woods for the Democratic nomination.
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) highlighted the Sinema report, arguing that her reported support strengthens Feely’s appeal to voters who split their tickets. The committee also noted that former Republican Gov. Doug Ducey had endorsed Feely.
“Arizonans of all parties trust Jay Feely to fight for lower taxes, a stronger Valley economy and protecting our water,” NRCC spokesman Ben Petersen said. “In stark contrast, Socialist Amish Shah vowed to raise taxes an average of over $4,000 and impose socialized government health care while reopening the border and going easy on sex offenders.”
Sinema announced her departure from the Democratic Party on Dec. 9, 2022. She subsequently received her seniority and committee assignments through the Democratic Conference for purposes of organizing the Senate, while declining to participate in either party’s caucus.
Arizona permits voters registered as independent or without a party designation to select a recognized political party’s ballot in state primary elections. Participating in the Republican primary therefore does not, by itself, establish that a voter has registered as a Republican.
The congressional contest has included disagreements over water use and economic development. Shah criticized Feely’s support for data centers while citing Arizona’s drought and potential Colorado River reductions. His campaign said he opposes building the facilities within the First Congressional District because of water shortages and utility costs.
During his legislative service, Shah supported a 2021 measure extending Arizona’s data center tax incentive application deadline and a 2023 measure addressing the program’s refund provisions. Feely has defended data center development as important to American competitiveness in artificial intelligence, while calling for developers to address water and electricity demands through measures including recirculated water and off-grid operation.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
