Trump-backed Jay Feely, a 14-year NFL veteran, just won the Republican nomination in Arizona’s hotly contested 1st District — and his donor list reads like an all-star roster spanning both sides of the aisle.
Feely defeated former state Rep. Joseph Chaplik and businessman John Trobough on Tuesday, pulling off a victory fueled by his sports connections and their wallets.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote Feely a $7,000 check — the maximum individual donation. So did New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Denver Broncos owner Rob Walton, according to OutKick reporting.
Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross also donated smaller amounts. The Bidwill family, who own the Cardinals, collectively gave $17,000. The Haslam family, owners of the Browns, topped everyone by donating $20,000.
It wasn’t just the owners opening their checkbooks.
Sports commentator and NBA Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley donated to Feely’s congressional bid. So did a lineup of former NFL players: John Elway, Rich Gannon, Trent Green, Jeff Saturday, Todd Heap, Richie Incognito, and Brian Urlacher, according to Central Oregon Daily.
“It is a desire to leave this country better for our children and our grandchildren. That’s it at its core.”
Many of these sports luminaries traditionally align with Democrats. Blank, for example, has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates over the years.
Arizona’s 1st District has been purple since 2009, flipping back and forth between red and blue. Democrats poured roughly $7 million into their primary for the seat.
The Democratic primary still hasn’t been called. Former state Rep. Amish Shah and former broadcast journalist Marlene Galán-Woods are waiting on final results.
The district’s current representative, David Schweikert, chose to run for governor rather than seek reelection but lost his primary to Rep. Andy Biggs by nearly 60 points. Schweikert has held the seat since the 2023 redistricting gave it its current shape.
Feely played 14 seasons as an NFL kicker for six teams, including the Falcons. After retiring, he spent 10 years as an NFL and college broadcaster for CBS.
At his victory celebration, Feely said his reason for running was simple: making life better for his kids.
The general election will test whether Feely’s crossover sports star appeal can carry him to Congress in a district where neither party has held a comfortable grip for over a decade.
