The person behind the name
Jay Feely's public life has run from NFL sidelines to the CBS broadcast booth, and in 2026 to a first campaign for Congress in Arizona's 1st District, backed by President Trump's endorsement. [4][13]
The Secretary of State's canvass lists him as Thomas “Jay” Feely IV; ESPN and Roll Call put his age at 48 when he launched his campaign in April 2025. His campaign biography says he and his wife, Rebecca, fell in love with the Valley when he signed with the Arizona Cardinals and chose it as the place to raise their four children. Reporting places the family home in Gilbert, inside the 5th District, and Cronkite News reported that he had lived in that district for twelve years before seeking the 1st District seat. [4][9][10][1][13][17]
Education and professional preparation
His campaign biography reports that he attended the University of Michigan from 1994 to 1998, was a member of the 1997 national championship football team, and spent two years as a financial advisor before his playing career began. The NFL Players Association describes him as a Michigan graduate; the degree and field of study are not stated in the material reviewed, and academic records were not part of this review. [1][8]
He entered the NFL in 2001 and played fourteen seasons for six teams, by the campaign's count and ESPN's 2018 report (ESPN's 2025 launch story counted seven), the last four with the Arizona Cardinals from 2010 through 2013 and four games with the Chicago Bears in 2014. The league's announcement of the 2013 Walter Payton Man of the Year finalists credited him with 1,437 career points, appearances in 207 of a possible 208 regular-season games and the second-highest single-season point total in Cardinals history, 127 in 2013. [1][27][9][17][7]
After football he joined CBS Sports as a game analyst and sideline reporter, from 2015 by Cronkite News's account (ESPN wrote in 2018 that he had been with CBS since 2014), and stayed a decade, leaving in 2025 to run for office. He told ESPN that Trump and Representative Jim Jordan had asked him to run in 2022 and that he declined then because his children were still in high school. [17][27][9]
He announced for the 5th District on April 22, 2025 at Agritopia in Gilbert, moved to the 1st District on December 19, 2025 after Trump endorsed Mark Lamb in the 5th and urged him to run elsewhere, and on July 21, 2026 won the Republican primary with 43,709 votes, 49.8 percent computed from the canvass, against Joseph Chaplik's 31,347 and John Trobough's 12,718. He faces Amish Shah, who won the Democratic primary with 29,002 votes, and Libertarian Monica Alponte on November 3, 2026. [12][11][4]
A note on the campaign's superlatives. The biography reports five Emmy Awards for his CBS work, a Pro Bowl alternate selection, “Man of the Year” honors with three teams and seats on the boards of StrongWatch and Klein Tools. Those are the campaign's statements; this review found no independent document for them and records them as claims. [1]
Life & public service
From the kicking tee to a battleground House race, the documented milestones show what the record contains and what it does not.
University of Michigan
Four seasons with the Wolverines and a place on the 1997 national championship team, per his campaign biography. [1]
Union representative
First elected by his teammates as an NFL Players Association player representative in 2002, according to the union. [8]
A prom photograph
Apologized for a tweet showing him holding a gun beside his daughter and her prom date; see the fuller record. [27]
Trump picks Lamb, points Feely elsewhere
In a Truth Social post reported by KJZZ on November 4, 2025, Trump endorsed Mark Lamb in the 5th District and wrote that he liked Feely “very much” but should run in a different district or for a different office. [11]
The switch to the 1st District
Announced December 19, 2025 that he would run for the seat David Schweikert was leaving; a rival's consultant called him a “Gilbert carpetbagger.” [12]
The nomination
Won the July 21 Republican primary with 43,709 votes, 49.8 percent computed from the canvass; the Secretary of State's canvass report is dated August 5, 2026 and was certified by Secretary of State Adrian Fontes on August 6. [4]
Accomplishments, in the record
League and union documents, the Secretary of State's canvass and Federal Election Commission filings establish the following. Feely has never held public office, so there are no votes or bills; the record is professional, civic and electoral, and it is described at the level those documents support.
Fourteen seasons, 1,437 points
The NFL's January 2014 announcement of the Walter Payton Man of the Year finalists described Feely as one of the league's top-five active scorers with 1,437 career points, appearing in 207 of a possible 208 regular-season games over thirteen seasons, one of eight players with at least seven game-winning overtime field goals, and the scorer of 127 points in 2013, the second-highest single-season total in Cardinals history. Cronkite News put his field-goal accuracy over four Cardinals seasons at 85.2 percent. He finished with four games for the Chicago Bears in 2014. [7][17][27]
The campaign adds a Pro Bowl alternate selection, team captaincies with three clubs and “Man of the Year” honors with the Falcons, Giants and Cardinals. The league document confirms the Cardinals' nomination for 2013; the rest is the campaign's account. [1][7]
Player representative, then the executive committee
The NFL Players Association's release on its 2014 board meetings in Orlando records that Feely was first elected by his teammates as a player representative in 2002, sat on the union's Lifecycle Committee and was elected at those meetings to the NFLPA Executive Committee. The campaign says he served on the executive committee “for over a decade” and negotiated with management during the lockout at the federal mediation office in Washington; the union document establishes the 2014 election, not the length of service. He told ESPN he had fought for players' insurance rights. [8][1][9]
The Walter Payton nomination and its record
The league's finalist announcement listed his work as a supporter and regular visitor at the Phoenix Ronald McDonald House, a “Game Changer” award from the Phoenix Rescue Mission, support for House of Refuge, the Feely Family Foundation and regular relief trips to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, including rebuilding a church and supplying an orphanage outside Port-au-Prince. He said at the time: “I feel like the biggest advantage you have as a professional athlete is the opportunity to give back.” [7]
Cronkite News reported in July 2026 that he and his wife lead private fundraising for House of Refuge in Mesa, an 88-home nonprofit for single homeless mothers, volunteer at Hacienda Healthcare in Phoenix and helped two young Haitian men obtain visas to study in the United States. The campaign dates the family foundation to 2012 and reports a House of Refuge Legacy Award in 2023; the league document confirms the finalist's place, and the award is the campaign's statement. [17][1][7]
Ten seasons with CBS
He joined CBS as a game analyst and sideline reporter on its NFL coverage, in 2015 by Cronkite News's account and since 2014 by ESPN's 2018 report, and, by ESPN's count, spent ten seasons broadcasting games before leaving the booth in 2025 for the campaign. He told ESPN that a decade of broadcasting had trained the public speaking he called one of a congressman's biggest jobs. The campaign's report of five Emmy Awards was not independently verified in this review. [17][27][9][1]
What the FEC filings show
The Federal Election Commission's summary for Feely's committees, covering April 1, 2025 through July 31, 2026, records total receipts of $2,528,497.10, of which $1,278,495.21 came from individuals, $323,329.55 from other committees, $5,000 from party committees, $591,672.34 in transfers from other authorized committees and $330,000 in loans from the candidate. Disbursements were $1,734,022.22, cash on hand $794,474.88 and debts owed by the committee $330,000. The principal committee is Feely for Congress; a second authorized committee, Feely for AZ-01 Republican Nominee Fund 2026, and a sponsored leadership PAC, 4th and Goal, are also listed. His current statement of candidacy was filed August 13, 2026. [5]
Phoenix New Times, reading the same filings in April 2026, found that more than $204,000 of the money raised through 2025 came from sports figures: $7,000 each from Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Patriots owner Bob Kraft, Broncos owner S. Robson Walton, Charles Barkley and Brian Urlacher, among others, with $330,000 loaned by Feely himself. Contributions establish support, not the candidate's positions. [16]
A three-way primary, decided by 12,362 votes
The Secretary of State's official canvass of the July 21, 2026 primary, certified August 6, 2026, records 43,709 votes for Feely, 31,347 for former state Representative Joseph Chaplik and 12,718 for John Trobough, all cast in Maricopa County: 49.8 percent of the 87,774 Republican votes and a margin of 12,362, both computed from the canvass, a plurality short of a majority. The Associated Press called the race on election night, when early returns showed him at 49 percent. On the Democratic side Amish Shah won 29,002 votes to Marlene Galán-Woods's 25,267, with 13,006 for Jonathan Treble and 6,248 for Rick McCartney; Monica Alponte, the only Libertarian listed, received 289. A KJZZ photograph places Feely at the AZ Clean Elections primary debate for the district at Sneaky Big Studios in Scottsdale on June 24, 2026, and Cronkite News reported an earlier appearance with Trobough on Arizona PBS's AZ Votes in May. [4][18][17]
Trump, the NRCC and the convention stage
Trump's endorsement came on January 6, 2026, shared with state party chair Gina Swoboda, in a Truth Social post quoted by KJZZ and Deseret News (“JAY OR GINA WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”); Swoboda filed a statement of interest for the secretary of state race in February and ran for that office in July, leaving Feely the only Trump-endorsed Republican in the district, and Trump repeated his support in a video days before the primary. Ballotpedia News dated the National Republican Congressional Committee's placement of Feely in its “MAGA Majority” program to March 2026, as one of nine candidates; Fox News described the program as aimed at battleground districts. Roll Call reported the campaign's statement, in the week of the launch, that Representative Jim Jordan had endorsed him, and Feely told Cronkite News that after Trump asked him to run, “Then Speaker (Mike) Johnson called and said the same thing.” On September 5, 2026 the Republican National Committee placed him on the program of its convention in Dallas, among the candidate speakers. Endorsements record support; they are not evaluations of the record above. [13][14][15][4][19][21][10][17][24]
Family & community
His campaign biography identifies his wife as Rebecca, a former anatomy and biology teacher at Gilbert Christian High School, and says they have four children; it names one daughter, Lexi, whom he coached on the girls' soccer program he started at the school, and the campaign's issues page describes him as a husband, father and grandfather. Reporting places the family home in Gilbert. [1][2][13]
Community roles as the campaign states them: the Feely Family Foundation, founded with his wife in 2012; the Gilbert Christian School board from 2016 to 2020; the girls' soccer program, which the campaign says reached a state semifinal in its second season and won a state championship in its fifth; service with House of Refuge, Mission of Hope and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Cronkite News independently reported the couple's fundraising role at House of Refuge and their volunteering at Hacienda Healthcare. [1][17]
The biography speaks of a foundation of “personal responsibility, servant leadership, and the belief that we are called to use our blessings to serve others” and of a “commitment to faith, family, and future generations,” and he told ESPN in April 2025 that he felt “God's calling pressing me into service.” Neither the biography nor the campaign site names a denomination or congregation, and this profile makes no claim about one. [1][9]
Mission & priorities
“In Congress, I’ll be a voice for the Valley—not the D.C. establishment.” {2}
The following summarizes the agenda on Feely's campaign website and in his public statements. These are proposed priorities from a candidate who has never cast a legislative vote, not completed accomplishments. [2][3]
01Secure the border
“A nation without borders is no nation at all.” The campaign promises to “finish the wall, dismantle the Biden/Harris open-borders agenda, and deliver results,” including “supporting mass deportations of violent offenders, fully backing our police, Border Patrol and ICE agents, and working to eradicate fentanyl before it reaches our neighborhoods.” A campaign flyer described by Cronkite News lists “Securing our border, deporting illegal immigrants” first among his promises. [2][17]
02Grow the economy, extend the tax cuts
The campaign would “slash red tape, expand Trump-era tax cuts, unleash domestic manufacturing, and drive down inflation,” and casts Arizona's semiconductor, aerospace, defense and logistics industries as the base of that growth. It offers no cost estimate or offset for extending the tax cuts, and none is claimed here. [2]
03Keep boys out of girls' sports
“I am unashamed to say: boys should not be competing against girls in sports.” He cites being the father of a daughter who played competitive soccer, and a former coach, and promises to codify “common-sense laws that ensure fair competition.” At his April 2025 launch he tied the candidacy to opposition to transgender athletes competing in women's sports, per Roll Call. [2][10]
04Restore the American Dream
“In Congress, I’ll fight to restore upward mobility and bring the cost of living down—so Arizonans can build lives right here in the Valley, not be priced out of it.” The page attributes higher costs to inflation, spending and Democratic control; it names no specific bill. [2]
05Stand with Israel, fight antisemitism
“In Congress, I will stand unapologetically with Israel and fight to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship,” including against antisemitism on college campuses; the page says he has stood on the Gaza border and seen the walls Israel uses to protect families from rockets. [2]
06American energy
“I proudly support President Trump’s America-First energy agenda—and I’ll work to unleash the full power of American oil, natural gas, clean coal, and the next generation of innovation.” [2]
07Arizona first: water, ranchers, the Second Amendment
The campaign lists “protecting our water, standing up for our farmers and ranchers, defending our Second Amendment rights, and stopping out-of-control federal mandates that hurt our families, small businesses, and schools,” and closes: “We don’t need another rubber stamp in Congress. We need a fighter who will carry Arizona’s voice straight into the halls of power—and never back down.” [2]
08Trump, and the limits of loyalty
The home page describes him as “A proud conservative and staunch supporter of President Donald Trump,” and his launch statement promised to “codify his America First agenda.” On primary night he said, “I am who I am. I'm not going to shy away from the things that I believe in,” and moments later that he would break with the White House when its policy was not in the district's interest: “I think your job is to stand up for what you believe is going to be best for your district.” KOLD reported in September 2026 that in an April interview on Arizona's Family's “Politics Unplugged” he defended Trump's war with Iran, supported his handling of the economy and tariff policy, and backed the administration's immigration enforcement tactics, and that he denies Democrats' “unquestioning rubber stamp” description. Those statements are the record; there is no vote to test them against. [3][10][18][26]
How to assess a proposal. A campaign plan states an intention. Enactment, implementation costs, replacement revenue, and measured results are separate questions. These priorities should be read alongside the legislative and voting history above.
The fuller record
A useful profile includes the questions a first-time candidate has been asked, the limits of a claim, and responses to material criticism.
Residence and the switch of districts
Feely lives in Gilbert, in the 5th District, where he launched his first campaign and where Cronkite News says he had lived for twelve years. He moved to the 1st District race on December 19, 2025, after Trump endorsed Mark Lamb in the 5th and, in KJZZ's account, urged him to look elsewhere. His statement: “After nearly a quarter century in professional football, I know that no one player is more important than the well being of the team. In this moment, the best way I can serve our GOP team is to defend this crucial Republican seat.” Gina Swoboda's consultant answered, “If Gilbert carpetbagger Jay Feely foolishly thinks he can win in AZ01, then more power to him I guess.” The Constitution requires a representative to be, when elected, “an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen”; it sets no district residency requirement. [17][12][11][28]
The primary's attacks and a cease-and-desist
In Fox News's account the Republican primary became personal in its final weeks. Cronkite News reported that former state Representative Joseph Chaplik, who Ballotpedia News says resigned from the Arizona House in March 2026 to run, repeatedly attacked Feely's help for two young Haitian men he met on relief trips, and that Chaplik sent a cease-and-desist in May 2026 over the “No Show Joe” nickname the Feely campaign applied to Chaplik's legislative voting record. Fox News, citing Axios Phoenix, reported Chaplik's post that Feely had “imported Haitians,” which Feely called racist and directed at men he considers family; Chaplik replied that the post “had NOTHING to do with your two family members and everything to do with your history of bringing large numbers of Haitian migrants to NGOs in an attempt to get amnesty here,” and added, “You have a history of opposing Trump on TPS for Haiti.” Feely's answer to the TPS claim is not in the sources reviewed. Feely on his own campaign's conduct: “We’re not going to run campaigns that way. We’re not going to run based on slandering people, or lying about people, or trying to use things about their personal lives to tear them down.” The canvass settled the argument at 43,709 votes to 31,347. [19][17][21][4]
The 2018 prom photograph
In April 2018, as a CBS analyst, Feely tweeted a photograph of himself holding a gun beside his daughter and her prom date, captioned “Wishing my beautiful daughter and her date a great time at prom.” He apologized the next day: “The prom picture I posted was obviously intended to be a joke. My Daughter has dated her boyfriend for over a year and they knew I was joking. I take gun safety seriously (the gun was not loaded and had no clip in) and I did not intend to be insensitive to that important issue.” The episode predates his candidacy; it is included because it is part of his public history. [27]
The convention speech and the word “socialist”
At the Republican convention in Dallas on September 9, 2026, where he was the only Arizona candidate on the program, Feely said: “Democrat socialists like Bernie Sanders and my opponent, Amish Shah; they aren’t the fringe of the Democratic Party. They are the Democratic Party.” He accused Shah of supporting a socialized health system; KJZZ noted that Shah has advocated universal coverage rather than government ownership of hospitals, and Shah's spokesperson called the claims “demonstrably false.” The NRCC used the same label in July, calling Shah “too far-left for Arizona.” Shah's own campaign site promises to stop damage to “abortion rights, Social Security, Medicare” and says he has knocked on more than 28,000 doors. The characterizations on both sides are campaign claims; the votes Shah cast in the Arizona House were not part of this review. [25][24][22][29]
The endorsement as asset and exposure
KJZZ's primary-night report noted that non-Republican voters make up about 62 percent of the district and that Trump's endorsement, a boost in the primary, could hurt him in the general election; NBC News put Trump's 2024 margin in the district at 3 points. Feely's answer was that he would not distance himself: “I am who I am.” Democrats, per KOLD, argue he would be an “unquestioning rubber stamp,” which he denies. The DCCC, having backed Galán-Woods in the primary, added Shah to its Red to Blue program on July 28, 2026. One measure of his standing before the primary: Deseret News reported in January 2026 that Noble Predictive Insights' ranking of the state's political figures among all voters placed him second overall, behind Senator Ruben Gallego, and first among Republicans, a measure of name recognition and favorability rather than a head-to-head poll. [18][20][26][22][14]
A district that decides majorities
The 1st District has been close for two cycles and is rated competitive for a third. By the Clerk of the House's statistics, Schweikert won 182,336 votes to Jevin Hodge's 179,141 in 2022 (50.4 to 49.6 percent, computed from those totals) and 225,538 to Shah's 208,966 in 2024, a margin of 16,572 that Cronkite News also reports, while Ballotpedia News puts Trump's 2024 share in the district at 51.1 percent to Kamala Harris's 48.0. Before the primary, Cook Political Report, Inside Elections and Sabato's Crystal Ball all rated the race a toss-up; on July 29 Ballotpedia News summarized the major forecasters' ratings as Lean Democratic or Toss-up, and put receipts as of July 1, 2026 at $2.53 million for Feely and $1.83 million for Shah. Feely's own framing on primary night: “there’s three to five seats in the country that will determine who holds the House and who controls the House in November. This is one of those seats.” KOLD reported that the two candidates are scheduled to debate on October 7, 2026. No public post-primary poll of the general election appears in the sources reviewed here. [30][6][17][23][21][20][26]
Questions & answers
Who is Jay Feely?
Jay Feely's public life has run from NFL sidelines to the CBS broadcast booth, and in 2026 to a first campaign for Congress in Arizona's 1st District, backed by President Trump's endorsement. [4][13] The Secretary of State's canvass lists him as Thomas “Jay” Feely IV; ESPN and Roll Call put his age at 48 when he launched his campaign in April 2025. His campaign biography says he and his wife, Rebecca, fell in love with the Valley when he signed with the Arizona Cardinals and chose it as the place to raise their four children. Reporting places the family home in Gilbert, inside the 5th District, and Cronkite News reported that he had lived in that district for twelve years before seeking the 1st District seat. [4][9][10][1][13][17]
What office is Jay Feely running for in 2026?
Who is Jay Feely running against?
He announced for the 5th District on April 22, 2025 at Agritopia in Gilbert, moved to the 1st District on December 19, 2025 after Trump endorsed Mark Lamb in the 5th and urged him to run elsewhere, and on July 21, 2026 won the Republican primary with 43,709 votes, 49.8 percent computed from the canvass, against Joseph Chaplik's 31,347 and John Trobough's 12,718. He faces Amish Shah, who won the Democratic primary with 29,002 votes, and Libertarian Monica Alponte on November 3, 2026. [12][11][4]
What are Jay Feely's stated priorities?
The following summarizes the agenda on Feely's campaign website and in his public statements. These are proposed priorities from a candidate who has never cast a legislative vote, not completed accomplishments. [2][3] The campaign lists: Secure the border; Grow the economy, extend the tax cuts; Keep boys out of girls' sports; Restore the American Dream; Stand with Israel, fight antisemitism; American energy; Arizona first: water, ranchers, the Second Amendment; Trump, and the limits of loyalty.
What does the public record show?
League and union documents, the Secretary of State's canvass and Federal Election Commission filings establish the following. Feely has never held public office, so there are no votes or bills; the record is professional, civic and electoral, and it is described at the level those documents support. The NFL's January 2014 announcement of the Walter Payton Man of the Year finalists described Feely as one of the league's top-five active scorers with 1,437 career points, appearing in 207 of a possible 208 regular-season games over thirteen seasons, one of eight players with at least seven game-winning overtime field goals, and the scorer of 127 points in 2013, the second-highest single-season total in Cardinals history. Cronkite News put his field-goal accuracy over four Cardinals seasons at 85.2 percent. He finished with four games for the Chicago Bears in 2014. [7][17][27]
How was this profile researched?
Reviewed September 17, 2026. Jay Feely has never held public office, so this profile contains no votes, bills or agency actions; it is a documented overview of his professional, civic and electoral record and his stated priorities. The NFL, NFLPA and CBS record was read from league, union and press accounts, not from contracts or personnel files. His candidate financial disclosure filed with the Clerk of the House, tax records and business holdings were not part of this review, and the campaign's statements about awards and board service are recorded as claims. The Secretary of State's canvass is a scanned document; its figures were transcribed for this profile and checked against the page images, and the percentages and margins attributed to the canvass and to the Clerk of the House's statistics were computed from the vote totals printed in those documents. Numerical claims retain their original meaning and attribution. Filings and campaign pages may change after this review.
Sources & methodology
Government records anchor the profile: the Secretary of State's canvass, the Federal Election Commission's filings and the Clerk of the House's election statistics. League and union documents establish the professional record; original reporting supplies scrutiny and responses; campaign materials are used for the candidate's own priorities and claims.
- 01Meet Jay | Jay Feely for Congress (campaign biography)Feely for Congress (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
Campaign biography: Michigan 1994–1998, fourteen NFL seasons, CBS, family, foundation, school board, boards and awards. Self-descriptions.Campaign or advocacy material - 02Issues | Jay Feely for CongressFeely for Congress (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
The campaign planks quoted in this profile. Proposals, not record.Campaign or advocacy material - 03Jay Feely for Congress (home page)Feely for Congress (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
The campaign's self-description as a supporter of President Trump; the site's linked X and YouTube accounts.Campaign or advocacy material - 042026 Primary Election Official Canvass (Internet Archive copy, captured August 26, 2026) (Internet Archive copy, captured Aug 26, 2026)Arizona Secretary of State (Internet Archive copy) · Report dated August 5, 2026; certified August 6, 2026
District 1 Republican primary: Feely 43,709; Chaplik 31,347; Trobough 12,718. Democratic: Shah 29,002; Galán-Woods 25,267; Treble 13,006; McCartney 6,248. Libertarian: Alponte 289; all cast in Maricopa County. Also the governor and secretary of state primaries. Scanned canvass certified by Secretary of State Adrian Fontes on August 6, 2026; figures transcribed and checked against the page images for this profile.Government record - 05FEELY, THOMAS JAMES — candidate overview, 2026 (H6AZ05190)Federal Election Commission · Accessed September 17, 2026
Financial summary through July 31, 2026: receipts, individual and committee contributions, transfers, candidate loans, disbursements, cash on hand, debts; committees and leadership PAC; statement of candidacy filed August 13, 2026.Government record - 06Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 5, 2024Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives · 2025
Arizona District 1, 2024: Schweikert 225,538; Shah 208,966.Government record - 07Walter Payton Award finalists announcedNFL.com (National Football League) · January 19, 2014
Feely as one of three finalists for the 2013 award: 1,437 career points, 207 of 208 games, seven game-winning overtime field goals, 127 points in 2013; Ronald McDonald House, House of Refuge, the Feely Family Foundation and Haiti relief trips.Professional or biographical source - 08Eric Winston Elected NFLPA PresidentNFL Players Association · May 19, 2014 (page date; the release reports the union's March 2014 board meetings)
Feely elected to the NFLPA Executive Committee at the union's 2014 annual meetings in Orlando; player representative since 2002; Lifecycle Committee; described as a Michigan graduate.Professional or biographical source - 09Ex-NFL kicker Feely to run for Congress in Ariz.ESPN (Josh Weinfuss) · April 22, 2025
The launch for the 5th District at age 48; the statement of interest filed with the Secretary of State; ten seasons at CBS; the 2022 approach by Trump and Jim Jordan; “God's calling.” Counts seven NFL teams where the campaign and ESPN's 2018 report count six.Independent reporting - 10Former NFL player Jay Feely launches bid for Congress in ArizonaRoll Call · April 23, 2025
The Gilbert kickoff, the launch statement (“codify his America First agenda”), the transgender-athletes position and the campaign's claim of a Jim Jordan endorsement.Independent reporting - 11Mark Lamb wins coveted Trump endorsement in Arizona's 5th Congressional DistrictKJZZ (Wayne Schutsky) · November 4, 2025
Trump's endorsement of Lamb and his call for Feely, whom he liked “very much,” to run in a different district or for a different office.Independent reporting - 12GOP candidate Jay Feely swaps Arizona congressional racesKJZZ (Camryn Sanchez) · December 19, 2025
The move to the 1st District at Trump's suggestion; Feely's statement; the Swoboda camp's “Gilbert carpetbagger” response.Independent reporting - 13Trump endorses 2 candidates — Jay Feely and Gina Swoboda — in Arizona congressional raceKJZZ (Camryn Sanchez) · January 7, 2026
The January 6, 2026 dual endorsement in Trump's words; Feely's response; the Gilbert residence raised by a rival's consultant; the April 22, 2025 Agritopia launch.Independent reporting - 14This former NFL kicker is Arizona's most popular RepublicanDeseret News · January 25, 2026
Noble Predictive Insights' power rankings placing Feely first among Republicans; Trump's “fierce advocates” post; the race already rated a toss-up.Independent reporting - 15Trump-endorsed congressional candidate Gina Swoboda considers run for secretary of state insteadKJZZ · February 3, 2026
Swoboda's statement of interest for secretary of state, which would leave Feely the lone Trump-endorsed Republican in the 1st District.Independent reporting - 16The famous sports figures bankrolling Jay Feely's run for CongressPhoenix New Times · April 13, 2026
FEC records through 2025: more than $204,000 from sports figures, $330,000 loaned by the candidate; named donors and amounts.Independent reporting - 17Former Cardinals kicker Jay Feely makes a Trump-supported bid for CongressCronkite News (Arizona PBS) · July 1, 2026
Career summary (85.2 percent with the Cardinals, Bears in 2014, CBS from 2015), twelve years in the 5th District, House of Refuge and Hacienda Healthcare, the Haitian students, Chaplik's attacks and the May 2026 cease-and-desist, the campaign flyer.Independent reporting - 18Jay Feely wins Republican primary in Arizona CD1KJZZ (Wayne Schutsky, Camryn Sanchez) · July 21, 2026
The Associated Press call, the 49 percent early lead, the district's non-Republican share, and Feely's election-night statements on Trump and independence.Independent reporting - 19Ex-NFL star backed by Trump wins battleground state primary: 'True America First Conservative'Fox News · July 21, 2026
Trump's pre-primary video, the NRCC's “MAGA Majority” program, Chaplik's “imported Haitians” post and Feely's response (the exchange is attributed by Fox to Axios Phoenix), and Chaplik's TPS claim.Independent reporting - 20Arizona Democrats reject party leaders' pick for a key battleground districtNBC News · July 22, 2026
Shah's primary win over the DCCC-backed Galán-Woods; Trump's 3-point 2024 margin in the district; Feely's “three to five seats” statement.Independent reporting - 21Jay Feely defeats Joseph Chaplik and John Trobough in the Republican primary for Arizona's 1st Congressional DistrictBallotpedia News · July 24, 2026
Candidate backgrounds, the pre-primary toss-up ratings from Cook Political Report, Inside Elections and Sabato's Crystal Ball, the NRCC's MAGA Majority placement in March 2026 and Chaplik's March 2026 resignation from the Arizona House. Ballotpedia's own summary; the canvass is the primary source for the result.Independent analysis or rating - 22DCCC throwing support behind Shah after backing his Democratic primary opponent for Arizona CD1KJZZ · July 28, 2026
Shah added to the DCCC's Red to Blue program; the NRCC's “too far-left for Arizona” statement.Independent reporting - 23Amish Shah (D), Jay Feely (R), and Monica Alponte (L) are running for the open seat in Arizona's 1st Congressional DistrictBallotpedia News · July 29, 2026
The general-election field; 2022 and 2024 margins in the district and Trump's 2024 share; the July 2026 forecaster ratings summarized as Lean Democratic or Toss-up; fundraising as of July 1, 2026. Ballotpedia's own summary.Independent analysis or rating - 24Republican National Committee Announces Keynote Speakers for 2026 Republican ConventionRepublican National Committee (GOP.com) · September 5, 2026
Lists Jay Feely, candidate for U.S. House in Arizona's 1st District, among the convention's candidate speakers; the convention dates of September 9–10 in Dallas. Party material.Campaign or advocacy material - 25Jay Feely praises Trump at RNC, accuses opponent of supporting socialismKJZZ · September 10, 2026
The convention speech, the “socialist” characterization of Shah, the Shah campaign's “demonstrably false” response, and KJZZ's note on Shah's health-care position.Independent reporting - 262026 Election: These competitive Arizona races could decide control of US HouseKOLD News 13 (Arizona's Family) · September 14, 2026
Feely's April 2026 interview on Arizona's Family's “Politics Unplugged” defending the Iran war, tariffs and immigration enforcement; the “unquestioning rubber stamp” attack and his denial; the October 7 debate date.Independent reporting - 27Jay Feely says picture with gun, daughter was jokeESPN · April 22, 2018
The prom photograph tweet and Feely's apology, quoted in full; also six NFL teams, four games with the Bears in 2014 and a CBS analyst since 2014, as ESPN wrote in 2018.Independent reporting - 28The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription — Article I, Section 2National Archives · undated; accessed September 17, 2026
The qualifications of a representative: age, citizenship and inhabitancy of the state, not the district.Government record - 29Amish for Arizona (campaign website of the Democratic nominee)Amish Shah for Congress (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
The opponent's self-description and door-knocking claim. Campaign material, used for the opponent's own words only.Campaign or advocacy material - 30Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 8, 2022Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives · February 28, 2023
Arizona District 1, 2022: Schweikert 182,336; Hodge 179,141.Government record
No matching sources. Try “Clerk,” “Senate,” or “campaign.”
Scope & method. Reviewed September 17, 2026. Jay Feely has never held public office, so this profile contains no votes, bills or agency actions; it is a documented overview of his professional, civic and electoral record and his stated priorities. The NFL, NFLPA and CBS record was read from league, union and press accounts, not from contracts or personnel files. His candidate financial disclosure filed with the Clerk of the House, tax records and business holdings were not part of this review, and the campaign's statements about awards and board service are recorded as claims. The Secretary of State's canvass is a scanned document; its figures were transcribed for this profile and checked against the page images, and the percentages and margins attributed to the canvass and to the Clerk of the House's statistics were computed from the vote totals printed in those documents. Numerical claims retain their original meaning and attribution. Filings and campaign pages may change after this review.
Images. Conservative Ledger masthead supplied by the site creator. The candidate portrait is a photograph by Gage Skidmore of Feely speaking at the “Build the Red Wall” rally at Dream City Church in Phoenix on April 17, 2026, published on Wikimedia Commons (File:Jay Feely 2026 (cropped).jpg) under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence, cropped and resized for this page and credited beneath the image. No campaign-owned photograph is used. Inclusion does not imply the photographer's or the campaign's endorsement of this publication.
Where to find the candidate
Every link below was read from the campaign’s own website or the candidate’s official government page. A follower count is printed only where it was measured; otherwise the link is published and the number is left blank rather than guessed at.
The campaign
Voting in Arizona: official dates, deadlines and rules
The general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The dates and rules below were read from the Arizona Secretary of State; the authority's own page, linked beside each one, is the final word.
Dates and deadlines
- Voter registration deadlineOctober 5, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. is the last day to register to vote in the November 3, 2026 general election. The Secretary of State prints this single date and time and gives no separate cutoff for registering online or in person; a paper form sent by mail has its own postmark-and-receipt rule, listed separately. Arizona's registration form says you must register at least 29 days before the election to vote in that election. Read from: azsos.gov/elections/calendar-dates
- Registration deadline for forms sent by mailOctober 5, 2026 is also the deadline for a paper form sent by mail. Arizona's registration form says a mailed application must be postmarked by the deadline and received by the County Recorder by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, or dated on or before the deadline and received by the County Recorder no later than 5 days after the deadline. Read from: azsos.gov/sites/default/files/docs/AZ-State-Voter-Registration-Form-Dec2025-fillable.pdf
- Early ballots start being mailedOctober 7, 2026: early ballots are mailed to voters on the Active Early Voting List (AEVL) and to voters who have requested a one-time ballot-by-mail. The Secretary of State's voter site, Arizona.Vote, says mail ballots begin going out October 7. Read from: azsos.gov/sites/default/files/docs/HB2022-Primary-Date-Change-2025-2026-calendar-05052026.pdf
- Early voting beginsOctober 7, 2026. The Secretary of State's procedures page says early in-person voting starts 27 days before Election Day and runs until the Friday before Election Day. Read from: azsos.gov/elections/calendar-dates
- Last day to vote early in personOctober 30, 2026 is the deadline to vote early in person. After that, the Secretary of State's calendar provides for emergency early voting, in a manner prescribed by the county Board of Supervisors, for an emergency occurring between 7:00 p.m. on October 30, 2026 and 5:00 p.m. on November 2, 2026 that would prevent the voter from voting at the polls. Read from: azsos.gov/sites/default/files/docs/HB2022-Primary-Date-Change-2025-2026-calendar-05052026.pdf
- Deadline to request a ballot-by-mailOctober 23, 2026 is the deadline to request a ballot-by-mail for the November 3, 2026 election. The Secretary of State's procedures page says the request must be received by the County no later than 5:00 p.m. on the 11th day before the election. The same 11-day cutoff applies to joining the Active Early Voting List in time for this election and to asking for a replacement ballot-by-mail. Read from: azsos.gov/sites/default/files/docs/HB2022-Primary-Date-Change-2025-2026-calendar-05052026.pdf
- Deadline to return a ballot-by-mail (received by)November 3, 2026, 7:00 p.m. A voted ballot-by-mail must be delivered to the County Recorder, the officer in charge of elections, an official ballot drop-off site, or any voting location in the voter's county no later than 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. This is a received-by deadline; the Secretary of State's pages give no postmark alternative. Its voter site, Arizona.Vote, says to mail the ballot by October 27. Read from: azsos.gov/elections/about-elections/elections-procedures/early-voting-procedures
- Polling place hours on Election Day6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, November 3, 2026. Anyone who is in line to vote by 7:00 p.m. should be allowed to vote. Read from: azsos.gov/elections/about-elections/elections-procedures/election-day-operations
Rules to know
- What to bringAt the polls you announce your name and place of residence and present one form of identification from List #1, or two different forms from List #2 or List #3. The Secretary of State's voter site, Arizona.Vote, says the same lists apply to early in-person voting, emergency voting and voting on Election Day. List #1 (photo ID including name and address; one required): valid Arizona driver license; valid Arizona non-operating identification card; tribal enrollment card or other form of tribal identification; valid United States federal, state, or local government-issued identification. List #2 (ID without a photograph that bears the name and address; two required): utility bill dated within 90 days of the date of the election (electric, gas, water, solid waste, sewer, telephone, cellular phone, or cable television); bank or credit union statement dated within 90 days of the date of the election; valid Arizona vehicle registration; Indian census card; property tax statement of the voter's residence; tribal enrollment card or other form of tribal identification; Arizona vehicle insurance card; Recorder's Certificate; valid United States federal, state, or local government-issued identification, including a voter registration card issued by the County Recorder; any mailing to the voter marked “Official Election Material.” List #3 (two required): a valid List #1 photo ID whose address does not reasonably match the precinct register, together with a List #2 item whose address does reasonably match; or a U.S. passport without address and one valid List #2 item; or a U.S. military identification without address and one valid List #2 item. A voter who does not provide acceptable proof of identity is issued a conditional provisional ballot and, for it to be counted, must provide proof of identity to the County Recorder after Election Day: the Secretary of State's 2025-2026 election calendar lists November 8, 2026 as the last day, while its Voting in Elections page describes the deadline as 5:00 p.m. on the 5th business day following a general election that includes a federal office. Members of federally recognized tribes are not required to have an address or photo on their tribal identification in order to cast a provisional ballot. Read from: azsos.gov/elections/voters/voting-elections
- Voting by mail (ballot-by-mail)All eligible voters may request a ballot-by-mail; the Secretary of State's pages list no excuse requirement. There are two ways to get one: join the Active Early Voting List (AEVL), whose voters are automatically sent a ballot-by-mail for all elections in which they are eligible to vote, or make a one-time request. A one-time request can be made on the Secretary of State's Voter Information Portal (my.arizona.vote), by calling your County Recorder, by sending the written ballot-by-mail request form to the County Recorder's office by mail, fax or email, or by emailing the County Recorder the identifying information listed on the Secretary of State's Early Voting page. The portal refers Maricopa County and Pima County voters to their own county's request page. For the November 3, 2026 election the deadline to request a ballot-by-mail is October 23, 2026; the request form says the request must be received by 5:00 p.m. on the 11th day before the election. There is no deadline to join the AEVL, but to get a ballot-by-mail for an upcoming election you must sign up at least 11 days before Election Day. For an election that includes a federal office, first-time voters who registered to vote by mail must prove their identity before requesting a ballot-by-mail. All early ballots come with a postage-paid return envelope; sign and date the return envelope and include a phone number in case election officials need to follow up with you. Mail the voted ballot back (Arizona.Vote says by October 27) or drop it off at your County Recorder's office, any official ballot drop-box, any early voting location, or any Election Day voting location in your county; it must be received no later than 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, November 3, 2026. If your ballot-by-mail is lost or damaged, contact your County Recorder for a replacement no later than 11 days before Election Day, or visit a voting location on or before Election Day to vote in person. Read from: azsos.gov/elections/voters/early-voting
- Early voting in personEarly in-person voting starts 27 days before Election Day and runs until the Friday before Election Day; for this election the Secretary of State's calendar gives October 7, 2026 as the start and October 30, 2026 as the deadline to vote early in person. The County Recorder must establish on-site early voting at the County Recorder's office during the early voting period, and Arizona.Vote says voters may vote early in person at the county elections office or any early voting site in their county. Voters must present valid ID in order to vote early in person; the identification lists are the same ones used at the polls. Arizona.Vote notes that available voting options, locations and hours may vary by county and election; the Secretary of State's County Election Officials Contact Information page lists, for each of the 15 counties, the County Recorder's office that handles voter registration and early voting. After October 30, the calendar provides for emergency early voting, in a manner prescribed by the county Board of Supervisors, for an emergency occurring between 7:00 p.m. on October 30, 2026 and 5:00 p.m. on November 2, 2026 that would prevent the voter from voting at the polls. Read from: azsos.gov/elections/about-elections/elections-procedures/early-voting-procedures
- Registering: no Election Day registration, and proof of citizenshipArizona's registration form says you must register at least 29 days before the election to vote in that election, and the Secretary of State's pages describe no registration at the polls on Election Day; for November 3, 2026 the last day is October 5, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. (the calendar lists later deadlines for certain military and overseas voters). You can register online through AZMVDNow (azmvdnow.gov) if you have an Arizona driver license or non-operating ID card issued by the Motor Vehicle Division, by mailing the state form to your County Recorder's office, or in person at your County Recorder's office. To be eligible to vote a “full ballot” — all federal, state, county, and local races and ballot questions — Arizona requires proof of citizenship. The Secretary of State's Registration Requirements page lists the accepted proof: the number of a valid Arizona driver's license or nonoperating identification card issued after October 1, 1996; an Indian Census Number, Bureau of Indian Affairs Card Number, Tribal Treaty Card Number or Tribal Enrollment Number; a photocopy of U.S. naturalization documents, or an Alien Registration Number; a legible photocopy of a birth certificate, with supporting legal documentation (such as a marriage certificate) if the name on the birth certificate is not the same as your current legal name; a legible photocopy of the pertinent pages of a U.S. passport; or a legible photocopy of a Tribal Certificate of Indian Blood or Bureau of Indian Affairs Affidavit of Birth. A registrant who attests to being a citizen but does not provide proof, and whose citizenship is not otherwise verified, is a “federal only” voter, eligible to vote only in federal elections, and becomes eligible for a full ballot after providing valid proof to the County Recorder's office. The Registering to Vote page says proof must be submitted with the registration form or by 5:00 p.m. on the Thursday before Election Day; the state form (revised December 2025) says with the form or by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. If you are only updating your name, party affiliation or address after moving within the state, you do not need to resubmit proof you already gave. Read from: azsos.gov/elections/voters/registering-vote
- If there is a question about your signatureBefore an early ballot is tabulated, the signature on the affidavit envelope is compared to signatures on file for the voter, which come from documents including MVD records, voter registration forms, or previous early ballots. If election officials have questions about the signature, they contact the voter to confirm its validity, and the voter may have to provide additional information; the Secretary of State asks voters to sign and date the return envelope and to include a phone number in case election officials need to follow up. The Secretary of State's 2025-2026 election calendar lists November 8, 2026 as the last day for signature cure of early ballots in this election, and notes that the cure period runs in calendar days, so the Sunday deadline does not move to the next day; it prints no time of day. In a July 22, 2026 news release about the primary, the Secretary of State said a voter whose signature cannot be verified will be notified and given an opportunity to confirm their identity before the deadline, and that Arizona counties use Text2Cure, a secure mobile tool: the voter receives a text message with a secure link, confirms their identity, uploads a photo of an Arizona driver's license or state-issued identification card, and verifies the signature electronically. That release gave the primary's cure deadline as 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 26, 2026, five days after the July 21, 2026 primary. The ballot status tool at my.arizona.vote shows whether your ballot was accepted and the signature verified. Read from: azsos.gov/sites/default/files/docs/HB2022-Primary-Date-Change-2025-2026-calendar-05052026.pdf
Read from: Calendar Dates | Arizona Secretary of State · Arizona Secretary of State Election Calendar 2025-2026 · Voting in Elections | Arizona Secretary of State · Early Voting | Arizona Secretary of State · Registering to Vote | Arizona Secretary of State · Election Day Operations | Arizona Secretary of State — Rules and dates as of Sep 17, 2026
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