Bold Showdowns Ahead: Northern Arizona’s 2024 Republican Primary House Races

By Matthew Holloway |

The dust is settling post the 2024 Arizona Primary Election, marked significantly by the race in Congressional District 8. GOP strategist Barrett Marson described it as “one of the ugliest—if not the ugliest—primaries in the entire country,” to Bloomberg News. Among the noteworthy battles were Districts 1, 2, and 8 in Northern Arizona, while District 9 saw minimal action.

Despite the race results still being unofficial, the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office provided the following updates as of August 5th evening.

In U.S. House of Representatives District 1, incumbent Congressman David Schweikert secured victory over Kim George with a commanding 62.65%-27.52% lead, a margin of 35,224 votes.

George conceded to Schweikert over the phone and later posted her support on social media, emphasizing the importance of keeping the seat under Republican control.

Schweikert will now face Amish Shah, who narrowly won the Democratic nomination by just 1,618 votes.

District 1 leans Republican, according to Cook Political, with an R+2 rating.

Similarly, incumbent Republican Congressman Eli Crane of District 2 triumphed over Jack Smith with a decisive 80.54%-19.46% lead by 67,750 votes.

Crane celebrated his victory on social media, while Smith has remained silent regarding any concession.

Crane is set to compete against Democrat Jonathan Nez in the general election.

Cook Political reports District 2 as solidly Republican at R+6.

The Republican Primary in District 8 has proven to be the most complex. Abraham Hamadeh holds a lead over Blake Masters, 29.90%-25.75%, by 4,264 votes.

Both Hamadeh and Masters received endorsements from President Donald Trump, who voiced his support on Truth Social, highlighting their strong alignment with his policies.

Additional notable candidates included Arizona State Representative Ben Toma and former Congressman Trent Franks, who attained 21.00% and 16.29% respectively.

Other candidates like Arizona State Senator Anthony Kern and Republican Patrick Briody secured single-digit percentages, with Kern at 4.80% and Briody at 2.28%.

District 8 is solidly Republican, rated at R+10 by Cook Political.

Concession acknowledgments came from State Sen. Kern and State Rep. Ben Toma, both expressing gratitude towards their supporters on social media.

District 9 saw incumbent Republican Congressman Paul Gosar running unopposed. Democratic candidate Quacy Smith will challenge Gosar in the general election.

Matthew Holloway is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.