House Republican Calls DC ‘Broken,’ Won’t Run For Reelection

The tenure of one Republican lawmaker is coming to an end. Citing her desire to spend more time with her children and ailing mother, Rep. Debbie Lesko announced that she would not seek reelection to represent Arizona's 8^th Congressional District.

Lesko won a special election in 2018 to take over the seat of then-Republican Rep. Trent Franks, who resigned following sexual misconduct allegations. She later secured three consecutive full terms to Congress.

“Spending, on average, three weeks out of every month away from my family, and traveling back and forth from Washington, D.C. almost every weekend is difficult,” Lesko lamented in a statement on X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter). “Washington, D.C. is broken; it is hard to get anything done,” she continued. (RELATED: The Worst House Speaker Election Ever? A Look Back At 1856)

During the Trump administration, Lesko voted with Trump's position 93.9% of the time and 100% of the time in the past 117^th Congress.

Arizona's 8^th District, which includes the suburbs to the north and west of Phoenix, has a clear Republican slant. The GOP nominee would be favored in a general election. It's unclear who will ultimately replace Lesko, but last year's attorney general nominee, Abe Hamadeh (R), quickly announced his candidacy. Another potential candidate is Blake Masters, the Republican Senate nominee in 2022. (RELATED: Republicans Flip State After Trump-Backed Candidate Wins Gubernatorial Election)

Hamadeh expressed his appreciation to Lesko for her years of service.

The Hill has more on Hamadeh's political ambitions:

He previously ran in the general election for attorney general against now-Attorney General Kris Mayes. Hamadeh lost by fewer than 300 votes and unsuccessfully tried to convince the Arizona Supreme Court to overturn the results of the election. According to local media outlets, Hamadeh has been ordered to pay Mayes more than $42,000 in legal fees over the dispute.

Hamadeh has already been endorsed by Senate candidate Kari Lake, who announced she would be joining the race last week.

Former President Trump endorsed Hamadeh's run for attorney general and is expected to back his run for Congress.

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