A self-funding businessman is seizing on messy scandals to try and topple President Donald Trump\u2019s endorsed candidate for a deep-red House seat.<\/p>\n

Republican Daniel Keenan is making a hard run at former Sheriff Mark Lamb in Arizona\u2019s 5th District, pouring over $1.6 million of his own cash into the effort and raising questions about Lamb\u2019s fitness for office following a string of sex scandals. The race will test whether GOP voters care more about the allegations \u2014 or whether Trump\u2019s support is enough to get him across the finish line.<\/p>\n

A multi-part Arizona Republic investigation<\/a> found that Lamb allegedly engaged in a yearslong pattern of sending sexual images<\/a> and instigating intimate encounters<\/a> between him, his wife and others. One woman involved, Jillian Stannard, alleged Lamb encouraged her husband<\/a> to have sex with other women, including Lamb\u2019s wife. She also alleged that Lamb threatened her<\/a>, 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 \u2014 then a sitting county sheriff \u2014 threatened to leverage<\/a> Arizona\u2019s revenge porn law against her. In a statement, Lamb spokesperson Ed Morabito said \u201cthese allegations are false and come from long-discredited political opponents.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reached for comment on Wednesday, Stannard said her allegations reported by the Republic are \u201caccurate and true.\u201d Peacock passed away in 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cA guy that goes around and says, \u2018God, family freedom,\u2019 is sending pictures of himself and nude pictures of his wife, encouraging his friends and his employees to have sexual relations with his wife,\u2019\u201d Keenan said in an interview this week of the allegations, repeating similar attacks he\u2019s made in campaign advertising. \u201cThat’s not \u2018God, family freedom.\u2019 That shows you’re morally broke.\u201d<\/p>\n

Morabito, the Lamb spokesperson, noted the candidate has Trump\u2019s endorsement and is \u201cconfident Republican voters will stand with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c[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,\u201d Morabito said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Janel Lamb, Mark Lamb\u2019s wife, said in a May Facebook post<\/a> that \u201ca massive smear campaign is certainly not going to stop us from doing what we know is right.\u201d<\/p>\n

The race\u2019s outcome will reveal the power of Trump\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

“I’ve never seen in Republican politics in my life a stronger endorsement than Trump’s,\u201d said former Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.), who represented the 5th District. \u201cAnd I think that the rank-and-file within the Republican party would rather do anything than cross Trump.”<\/p>\n

Keenan has put more than $1.6 million of his own money<\/a> 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<\/a>, is also hosting numerous town halls a week and has put significant cash into mail advertising as well. Meanwhile, Lamb\u2019s campaign hasn\u2019t put a penny onto the airwaves, according to the tracking service AdImpact.<\/p>\n

Lamb has also faced scrutiny for spending much of his time on a ranch in Tennessee<\/a> and not in the district he is seeking to represent. And Keenan is hitting him over another top issue for Arizona Republicans: Trump\u2019s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Lamb] betrayed our president after the 2020 election,\u201d Keenan told Blue Light News. \u201cHowever he feels about election fraud,\u2029he testified for Democrats<\/a> saying there was no fraud and that President Trump lost the election. I think all of that is disqualifying to represent this district.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is some evidence that the pitch to voters is landing. An internal poll from Keenan\u2019s campaign<\/a> obtained by Blue Light News shows Keenan leading Lamb 42 percent to 40 percent, narrowly within the poll\u2019s margin of error. The campaign\u2019s earlier polling from late June had shown Lamb leading 43 percent to 35 percent.<\/p>\n