Former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb has clinched the Republican nomination in Arizona’s 5th Congressional District, brushing aside a costly challenge from opponent Daniel Keenan, who built his entire primary campaign around allegations of sexual misconduct against Lamb.
With the win, Lamb now heads into the general election as the clear favorite in a solidly Republican, Phoenix-area district. He is seeking to succeed Representative Andy Biggs, who is vacating the seat to pursue Arizona’s governorship.
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A Self-Funded Challenge Built Around Scandal
Keenan, who financed his own campaign to the tune of roughly $2 million, made Lamb’s alleged misconduct and abuse of authority the centerpiece of his bid to unseat the frontrunner. Lamb has repeatedly and firmly denied any wrongdoing.
Despite the aggressive spending and messaging, Keenan’s strategy failed to gain traction with primary voters. Lamb’s campaign was buoyed significantly by an endorsement from President Donald Trump, along with support from Turning Point USA, the conservative advocacy organization headquartered in Arizona.
Political observers say the result illustrates just how much weight a Trump endorsement still carries within the Republican base — and how primary voters have repeatedly shown a willingness to stand behind candidates facing serious personal controversy, provided the president backs them.
The Allegations That Shaped the Race
Lamb, who left his post as sheriff in 2024, had built a national reputation as an outspoken critic of the Biden administration’s border and immigration policies, frequently appearing at conservative events and in media as a hardline voice on law enforcement and border security.
That profile was upended in May, when the Arizona Republic published an investigative series alleging that Lamb had, over a period of several years, engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct, including sending explicit images and pursuing intimate relationships involving himself, his wife and other individuals.
One woman named in the reporting, Jillian Stannard, alleged that Lamb had pressured her husband to pursue sexual relationships with other women, including Lamb’s own wife. Stannard further claimed that when she brought her concerns to religious leaders, Lamb responded with threats of retaliation.
A second woman, Tammy Peacock, reportedly provided message screenshots to the newspaper suggesting that Lamb — while still serving as a sitting sheriff — warned he could invoke Arizona’s revenge pornography statute against her.
Lamb’s Campaign Pushes Back
Ed Morabito, a spokesperson for Lamb’s campaign, addressed the allegations in a statement last week, characterizing them as fabricated claims originating from political adversaries whose credibility, he said, had already been called into question.
Notably, the controversy did not cost Lamb any major political support. Trump did not distance himself from Lamb following the reports — in fact, the president reaffirmed his endorsement in mid-July, posting his continued support publicly even as Keenan intensified attacks tied to the allegations.
What Comes Next
Lamb’s primary victory sets up a general election contest in November, though given the district’s strong Republican lean, he is widely expected to prevail and head to Washington as the 5th District’s next representative.
The outcome adds to a growing list of instances this election cycle in which Trump-endorsed candidates have weathered significant personal scandals during Republican primaries, reinforcing questions about how much influence such controversies actually hold over GOP primary voters when a presidential endorsement is in play.
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