Sen. Kyrsten Sinema arrives at the Senate chamber for a live quorum call at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 12, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong / Getty Images)
By Nick Givas October 17, 2026 at 7:30am
Former Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona is backing Republican candidate Jay Feely as he runs for the House of Representatives.
Sinema, who became an independent in 2022 but continued caucusing with Democrats, told Arizona business and political leaders that she voted for Feely in the Republican primary, Axios reported.
She chose not to run for reelection to the Senate in 2024, and Democrat Ruben Gallego ultimately defeated Republican Kari Lake to replace her.
Feely is running in a highly competitive race in Arizona’s First Congressional District, which has an open seat this cycle.
During several meetings this month, Sinema said she’s gotten close to Feely and his family, adding that he’s “common-sense” and a “fiscal conservative,” according to two sources who were present during her remarks.
The former member of the Senate also said Feely is the best person to help fix the state’s water crisis.
Additionally, Sinema said she will likely vote for Feely in the November general election, with control of the House likely coming down to roughly 20 tossup seats, according to Cook Political Report.
The discussions cited by Axios were deemed to be “casual conversations over the past month with groups of business and political leaders and allies.”
Feely is a former NFL kicker and broadcaster who is running against former Democratic state Rep. Amish Shah.
What impact do you think Kyrsten Sinema’s support will have on Jay Feely’s campaign?
He has also garnered the support of President Donald Trump.
Feely gained further recognition when he spoke at the first-ever Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas, Texas, in September.
“We are blessed to live in the greatest country in the world. We are still the shining city on the hill,” he said during his speech. “We will not surrender our future. We are the ones who must preserve it.”
Feely has played for several high profile NFL teams, including the Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, and his home state Arizona Cardinals.
Feely and Shah are competing to fill the seat being vacated by Rep. David Schweikert, a Republican.
Schweikert dropped his reelection bid to run for governor of Arizona, but ultimately lost the Republican primary to Rep. Andy Biggs.
Biggs is set to face off against Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs in what PBS News described as potentially “one of the closest governor races in November.”
Republicans will be defending a razor-thin majority in the House this cycle, making Sinema’s support highly consequential.
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Nick Givas has been a reporter for The Daily Caller, Fox News, and served as Managing Editor of the Newsroom at Project Veritas. He’s also hosted three different podcasts, served as a Congressional Communications Director, and had his work featured in The Federalist, Daily Signal, New York Post, and Real Clear Politics.
