Politics

A Trump-backed Arizona candidate faces tough House primary after sex scandals

Published

1 month ago

July 16, 2026

A self-funding businessman is seizing on messy scandals to try and topple President Donald Trump’s endorsed candidate for a deep-red House seat.

Republican Daniel Keenan is making a hard run at former Sheriff Mark Lamb in Arizona’s 5th District, pouring over $1.6 million of his own cash into the effort and raising questions about Lamb’s fitness for office following a string of sex scandals. The race will test whether GOP voters care more about the allegations — or whether Trump’s support is enough to get him across the finish line.

A multi-part Arizona Republic investigation found that Lamb allegedly engaged in a yearslong pattern of sending sexual images and instigating intimate encounters between him, his wife and others. One woman involved, Jillian Stannard, alleged Lamb encouraged her husband to have sex with other women, including Lamb’s wife. She also alleged that Lamb threatened her, saying there would be consequences, when Stannard raised concerns to leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which both Lamb and Stannard were members. Screenshots the Republic obtained of messages with another woman, Tammy Peacock, suggest Lamb — then a sitting county sheriff — threatened to leverage Arizona’s revenge porn law against her. In a statement, Lamb spokesperson Ed Morabito said “these allegations are false and come from long-discredited political opponents.”

Reached for comment on Wednesday, Stannard said her allegations reported by the Republic are “accurate and true.” Peacock passed away in 2021.

“A guy that goes around and says, ‘God, family freedom,’ is sending pictures of himself and nude pictures of his wife, encouraging his friends and his employees to have sexual relations with his wife,’” Keenan said in an interview this week of the allegations, repeating similar attacks he’s made in campaign advertising. “That’s not ‘God, family freedom.’ That shows you’re morally broke.”

Morabito, the Lamb spokesperson, noted the candidate has Trump’s endorsement and is “confident Republican voters will stand with him.”

“[Keenan] is spending millions attacking a Republican and not a dime attacking Democrats. His name ID is less than 30 percent and he is not a serious factor in this race,” Morabito said in a statement.

Janel Lamb, Mark Lamb’s wife, said in a May Facebook post that “a massive smear campaign is certainly not going to stop us from doing what we know is right.”

The race’s outcome will reveal the power of Trump’s endorsement in a deep-red Phoenix-area district. Already this year, GOP primary voters have been willing to accept scandal-ridden candidates favored by Trump. In Texas, Republican primary voters nominated scandal-plagued Attorney General Ken Paxton over incumbent GOP Sen. John Cornyn.

“I’ve never seen in Republican politics in my life a stronger endorsement than Trump’s,” said former Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.), who represented the 5th District. “And I think that the rank-and-file within the Republican party would rather do anything than cross Trump.”

Keenan has put more than $1.6 million of his own money into his campaign and is using that to make sure voters know all about the reporting. His campaign has spent more than $1.8 million on TV advertising listing the allegations in the Republic, is also hosting numerous town halls a week and has put significant cash into mail advertising as well. Meanwhile, Lamb’s campaign hasn’t put a penny onto the airwaves, according to the tracking service AdImpact.

Lamb has also faced scrutiny for spending much of his time on a ranch in Tennessee and not in the district he is seeking to represent. And Keenan is hitting him over another top issue for Arizona Republicans: Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen.

“[Lamb] betrayed our president after the 2020 election,” Keenan told Blue Light News. “However he feels about election fraud, he testified for Democrats saying there was no fraud and that President Trump lost the election. I think all of that is disqualifying to represent this district.”

There is some evidence that the pitch to voters is landing. An internal poll from Keenan’s campaign obtained by Blue Light News shows Keenan leading Lamb 42 percent to 40 percent, narrowly within the poll’s margin of error. The campaign’s earlier polling from late June had shown Lamb leading 43 percent to 35 percent.

Keenan said he has been in touch with the White House about his bid and made the case that he has always been a steadfast supporter of Trump. He also said Georgia businessman Rick Jackson’s recent gubernatorial primary win without Trump’s endorsement shows he can win without the president’s nod — even if it’s hard.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Still, Lamb’s allies are taking notice of Keenan’s rise. The Washington-based Club For Growth poured $250,000 into pro-Lamb advertising in recent weeks, which Keenan says is a sign of Lamb’s vulnerability: “There’d be no reason for them to do that if he wasn’t in trouble,” Keenan said. Asked about the spending, a spokesperson for the Club pointed to their own internal poll from a few weeks ago showing Lamb up by a 34-point margin.

Lamb was never charged with a crime for his alleged actions. An investigation by the Pinal County attorney found no criminal wrongdoing, though it also concluded a previous county attorney failed to adequately investigate the accusations.

“I know him. I’ve seen him. I’ve seen him time and time again stand for the right things,” said Tyler Farnsworth, a Republican candidate for the Arizona House in Gilbert. “My belief is that the voters here in CD5 have seen who Mark Lamb is.”

“I tend to believe what I see out of the legal system, the justice system, much more than some reporting that may have some very intentional bias toward it,” he added.

The women in the Republic investigation said they also repeatedly raised concerns to Latter-day Saint church leaders. It is unclear what disciplinary action, if any, the church took: The church does not publicly disclose membership status or disciplinary proceedings. The church did not respond to a request for comment.

The stories sent waves through the district’s large Latter-day Saint community. Arizona’s 5th District — sometimes colloquially called the “Mormon district” — includes Gilbert, Queen Creek and parts of Mesa, all areas with significant Latter-day Saint populations.

“When you see the picture of him in a baptismal outfit, with the brother he baptized, and he’s having an open marriage with his wife and this man, it doesn’t seem to uphold our gospel standards,” Suzanne Lunt, an independent voter in Gilbert, said of the allegations. Lunt helped organize Latter-day Saints against Trump in 2024.

In late May, as the Republic’s reporting rocked the valley, a group of prominent Latter-day Saint politicians and strategists coalesced to try and force Lamb out of the race, noting Lamb could make the seat a vulnerability for Republicans in November, or drag down statewide Republicans in the crucial race for governor. But that push tapered off after it became clear Lamb — or his supporters — wouldn’t budge.

“More of an effort hasn’t been made because he doesn’t have a serious opponent well-funded enough to make the numbers close enough,” said Tyler Montague, a Mesa-based political operative who is a Latter-day Saint. “That’s why there isn’t any real movement elsewhere.”

Keenan begs to differ, arguing that Lamb’s scandals could put the district that went for Trump by 20 points “at risk.”

“I don’t actually like [Keenan],” said Amy Wudel, a Republican in Gilbert. “He’s sort of on the extreme side, from typically what I would vote for.” But Wudel, who worked for an independent challenger to Rep. Andy Biggs in the 5th District last cycle, will vote for Keenan because “I do not vote for candidates who do not display the character worthy of office.”

Keenan still faces an uphill battle. His own poll shows the huge name ID deficit he faces — when voters were asked their opinion of Keenan and Lamb, one-third said they were not sure about Keenan, while only 11 percent said the same of Lamb.

It’s unclear how much the mudslinging will land with voters. The Arizona legislature moved the primary date up from early August to late July, meaning thousands of voters already cast a ballot through mail-in balloting or early voting. And the timing of the primary could make it a low-turnout affair: Because many Phoenix-area public schools return in late July or early August, many families are trying to beat the heat by getting in late-summer travel.

“This time of year, any given week, the pews are empty on Sunday and everyone is in Show Low, Flagstaff or San Diego,” said Chad Heywood, a Republican strategist who is neutral in the race.

Meanwhile, Lamb’s supporters are bullish, especially after Trump reinforced his endorsement of Lamb in a social media post Sunday without addressing the scandals. To show his dominance in the 5th District, supporters point to the 2024 election. Lamb ran for Senate, and even as he was being trounced in the primary by Kari Lake, he still managed to win his home of Pinal County by 25 points. One ally also pointed out that Lamb received a standing ovation during a June gathering of Republican women, long after the allegations became public. And his allies in Congress are sticking by his side: Lamb’s campaign sent out fundraising solicitations from House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) in recent weeks.

Even Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz), who previously said Lamb’s activity “borders on immoral” and that Lamb should drop out of the race if he isn’t willing to address the accusations, is now keeping the race at arms length.

“I stay out of [District] 5, because it’s not my district,” Schweikert said in an interview at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. “If that’s good enough for his voters, I mean, they’re the ones in the district.”

Politics

Bernie Sanders says he can’t get involved in every race. Some allies wish he would.

Published

2 days ago

August 13, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Sen. Bernie Sanders says he can’t be everywhere at once — even though some of his allies want him to be.

Democratic socialist Francesca Hong lost by less than 4,000 votes in Wisconsin’s gubernatorial primary, an outcome several high-profile progressives are blaming on Sanders and other top national progressive leaders for staying out of the race. Some said his endorsement alone could have helped bring in badly needed resources for Hong. Others said the Vermont senator has a responsibility to play widely across the battle map.

Sanders, in an interview, touted a series of progressive wins Tuesday night and brushed off the criticism.

“My response is that we have limited resources and capabilities, and there are a lot of really great candidates who have run for office who we have not endorsed,” Sanders told Blue Light News on Wednesday.

“We can’t endorse every single candidate,” he added. “So, you know, we have to pick and choose and I think that Hong ran a very, very great, and very strong, grassroots campaign, got a lot of people involved and I applaud her for that.”

Hong ultimately lost to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, a major victory for establishment Democrats who worried she wouldn’t be able to win a general election in a top battleground. It was a notable blow for the far left that overshadowed progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan’s win in the Minnesota Senate race the same night.

Sanders and other progressive leaders “have a responsibility, whether they like it or they don’t,” to help steer candidates in the movement, said Cenk Uygur, a progressive activist who co-founded the Young Turks and Justice Democrats. “If they endorse people, it makes a difference. If they don’t endorse people these days, sometimes it makes a bigger difference. Because there’s a certain expectation, and when they don’t deliver on that expectation, it gives people pause. So it feels like, to some degree, they’re shirking their responsibility.”

Uygur also criticized Sanders for saying on a podcast ahead of the primary that he was “not that familiar” with the Wisconsin race.

“I love Bernie, but that’s not true. Sorry, brother, but you have a giant team. Of course somebody on your team knows who’s running for governor in Wisconsin.” Uygur told Blue Light News on Thursday.

One Democratic operative working on progressive campaigns, granted anonymity to speak candidly about the electoral dynamics, also rejected Sanders’ argument, noting the senator won Wisconsin’s presidential primary in 2016.

“He knows Wisconsin very well,” the operative said, adding: “What resources? You’re not cutting checks. [Sanders] endorsing somebody raises the money.”

Sanders in the interview noted primary wins from Flanagan, Rebecca Cooke in Wisconsin’s 3rd District and Matt Little in the crowded race for Rep. Angie Craig’s Minnesota seat — all Democrats he endorsed.

“Needless to say, I’m feeling really very good,” Sanders said. “The American people are catching on that we have an economy that is rigged, the very rich are getting richer while working families are struggling.”

But the Wisconsin governor primary result Tuesday exposed a critical vulnerability for a movement that has largely relied on Sanders and a handful of other headline-grabbing stars, such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), to help seal the deal in contentious races as progressives look to prove they can play in competitive seats. The underdog wing of the party, some progressives argue, can’t be selective about where it’s playing if they want to take on a vast and well-funded establishment.

The bulk of the blame is being laid at Sanders’ feet in part because the movement he turbocharged in 2016 has struggled to land on a clear successor. Some progressives argue there’s an overreliance on Sanders and leaders such as Ocasio-Cortez.

Our Revolution, a group born from Sanders’ 2016 campaign but that the senator no longer associates with, blasted the broader progressive ecosystem for not doing more for Hong in a post early Wednesday morning, as the returns in Wisconsin showed Crowley was poised to defeat Hong. Several groups that have backed insurgent progressives in other races declined to join Our Revolution in getting involved in the governor’s race.“We cannot build progressive power while gatekeeping our own movement through the eyes of the establishment,” the group posted.

Sanders pushed back: “Our Revolution is an organization I’ve not had any interaction with, any participation with … for I think nine years,” he said in response. “They do what they want and they say what they want. They have nothing to do with me.”

Our Revolution declined comment on Sanders’ remarks and on its post.

Nina Turner, a former Our Revolution leader and Sanders 2020 co-chair who had backed Hong, said support from “more well-known, more popular, actively elected progressive types … probably would have” made a difference in Hong’s race. She declined to call anyone out specifically for not getting involved.

“The progressive movement is going to have to reckon with how we continue to win around certain personalities,” Turner said. “I don’t think the movement should put all our hopes and dreams on certain personalities to come out or to not come out, because it is their choice and they have a right to their choice, even if I don’t agree with it.”

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) was one of the few national progressive figures who had endorsed Hong. He has employed a far more aggressive endorsement strategy than Sanders this primary season and said he sees an advantage to backing candidates early, despite the potential headwinds facing long-shot contenders, as long as they align with him on policy.

But he wasn’t willing to play the blame game in the aftermath of Wisconsin’s primary, saying in a text message that: “We have so many candidates running and I believe progressive leaders have been doing an extraordinary job lifting them up.”

A spokesperson for Ocasio-Cortez, who has also faced criticism for not backing for Hong, declined to comment.

Not everyone on the left believes Sanders and other progressive stars could have swung a race in which several other factors were working against Hong. The candidate did very little traditional advertising. She faced a barrage of negative press over controversial past social media comments that put her on defense over everything from public safety to Thanksgiving. Several candidates likely siphoned away votes from both Hong and Crowley — including two who dropped out after voting began: Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes.

Dillon Sheehan, the chapter secretary for the Madison Area Democratic Socialists of America, which endorsed Hong, said “it’s entirely possible” big-name progressives like Sanders could have “put her over the edge.”

But “we need candidates who can win without Bernie’s endorsement, he’s not going to be able to endorse forever,” Sheehan said. “I think what this shows is that even without his endorsement, without Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s endorsement, [Hong] did fantastic.”

Politics

Crowley zeroes in on ‘MAGA extremism’ to rebuild a fractured Wisconsin coalition

Published

3 days ago

August 13, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

David Crowley has a strategy to win over the voters who backed democratic socialist Francesca Hong on Tuesday: make the governor’s race an existential fight against “MAGA extremism.”

Wisconsin Democrats have spent the past day scrambling to unite the far left and centrist factions of the party after a bitter primary battle defined by questions of electability and how far left of an ideology to pursue. The same is happening in Michigan, where the party has just three months to mend broken fences and get progressive Abdul El-Sayed elected in another competitive state this November.

Crowley told Blue Light News he plans to use GOP Rep. Tom Tiffany and President Donald Trump as the foils that bring everyone together.

“We’re not all going to agree on everything. But I think we agree that the ultimate goal is making sure that we don’t have a MAGA extremist and congressman Tom Tiffany sitting in the governor’s office,” Crowley said in an interview Thursday, adding that the state “has a grand opportunity in putting some level of check on Trump’s agenda” amid the “affordability crisis.”

Democrats view holding onto the governor’s mansion in Wisconsin — a top battleground state that Trump won by just shy of 30,000 votes in 2024 — as critical for acting as a bulwark against Trump. They’re hoping to secure a governing trifecta in the state for the first time since 2010.

Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive who was hand-picked by current Gov. Tony Evers, said he plans to not only fold in the left flank, but also reach out to independents and previous GOP voters who “feel rejected by this current Republican party.” Evers himself ousted GOP then-Gov. Scott Walker in 2018 thanks to a coalition that cut across Democratic strongholds, independents and some Republican-leaning voters.

Crowley also said he’s already talked to “some Republicans who are more interested in defeating Tom Tiffany.”

Trump’s approval rating has been continually slipping, and Crowley’s advisers believe focusing on the cost of living under the Trump administration amid an unpopular Iran war is a sweet spot to hit a broad cross-section of voters.

But even as he committed to reaching out to voters who had backed Hong, Crowley told Blue Light News he would not campaign with some of her top surrogates on the trail — and demurred when asked whether he’d bring on any Hong allies to staff his general election campaign, saying everyone is “welcome” at the table.

When asked whether he would campaign with controversial, leftist social media influencer Hasan Piker, Crowley responded: “No.”

“I don’t know Hasan, but I always want to be focused on Wisconsin voters,” he added.

Hong has committed to hitting the trail with Crowley ahead of November, but many of his allies see her as too much of a political liability to be directly involved. They’re worried her brand of democratic socialism — and past controversial social media posts about defunding the police and canceling Thanksgiving — could affect Crowley’s wider appeal.Crowley also isn’t budging on a key campaign policy issue that divided the primary: He will not embrace the moratorium on data center development that Hong ran on.

“No moratorium,” Crowley said in the interview, adding he and Hong do agree on adding “guardrails” on data center development and operation via a package of legislation.

“I let folks know exactly where I stood on data centers,” he said. “That’s why we were able to not only consolidate many of those undecided voters, but get many rural communities to support us as well, because we have a common-sense approach to make sure that we’re protecting our environment, protecting our water, and protecting ourselves … when it comes down to these data centers.”

Politics

Platner announced as speaker for activist-led event in Maine

Published

3 days ago

August 13, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, who dropped out of the race last month amid sexual assault allegations, was announced as a speaker for a Labor Day event in Ellsworth, Maine, next month.

The event was organized by the groups Hancock County Activists and Acadia Action Peacemakers, according to information shared with the Hancock County Democratic Party. Both have been behind “No Kings” protests and other organized events in the area since the start of last year. Neither responded immediately to inquiries about the event on Thursday.

Platner, who is from nearby Sullivan, Maine, dropped out of the Senate race following a July Blue Light News report that a woman he dated accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2021. Platner denied the allegation.

Marcia Myers, the chair of the Hancock County Democratic Party, said the event set to feature Platner was not a sanctioned party event but that the party often shares information about activist-led events in the area. The county party’s Facebook and Instagram posts mentioning Platner’s event were deleted, though the event was still listed on the party’s website.

Platner did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the event on Thursday.

Platner was replaced in the Senate race by former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, as Democrats are seeking to take on GOP Sen. Susan Collins in an election of high importance to both parties nationally.

Outside groups supporting Collins have sought to tie Jackson to Platner, noting Jackson, who previously ran for governor, endorsed Platner’s campaign and appeared at rallies for him. Jackson called for Platner to drop out of the race after the sexual assault allegation.

Jalen Beckford contributed to this story.