Former Army Captain Abe Hamadeh (R) has defeated Greg Whitten (D) for Representative Debbie Lesko's (R-AZ) 8th Congressional District seat with 55.9% of the vote, which the victorious candidate said was "just the beginning."
"This is a victory for every Arizonan who's fed up with open borders, skyrocketing prices, and a political class that has sold our country out to the highest bidder. Arizona deserves a fighter who will go to Washington, drain the swamp, and actually put America First—and that's exactly what I'm here to do," Hamadeh told the Arizona Daily Independent.
At the end of February, Hamadeh spoke with Cactus Politics about his motivation to run for Congress after losing the race for Arizona Attorney General in the 2022 midterms. He told us, "I no longer recognize this country, and it has only gotten worse" after returning to the United States in 2021 after deploying in Saudi Arabia.
"I know who the phonies are, who the crooks are. Our country is being stolen from us, quite frankly, whether it is our academic institutions. Whether it is immigration again and our elections, obviously. So we have to look at it. What is happening, really, [is] Marxism has infiltrated every aspect of our life," the former Army Captain said to Cactus Politics.
Later, at the end of September, Hamadeh released an ad viscerally attacking the border policies of the Biden-Harris Administration, going so far as to accuse them of treating illegal aliens entering the country in unprecedented numbers better than U.S. citizens.
"Under Kamala Harris, prices are skyrocketing, and our border is in chaos. Arizona families are hurting and struggling to get by. And what is worse? Democrats are prioritizing illegals over Americans, giving them free housing, healthcare, and groceries, while Americans are treated as second-class citizens," the ad boldly declared.
A week later, on October 8th, Hamadeh predicted Arizona would vote for former President Donald Trump in the election because of the border crisis, expecting that "the Democrats are going to be surprised when [Arizona] got for President Trump this time around. Why? Because the border is the number one issue for everybody."
Hamadeh's prediction has turned out to be correct. President-elect Trump's victory has been further secured, with Arizona projected to go for him.
"This is just the beginning. We're going to shake things up in Washington and remind them that this country belongs to the people. Arizona, I will make you proud, and together, we will restore America's greatness," Hamadeh told the Arizona Daily Independent.
