The nasty primary roiling Arizona politics

An ugly race marred by lawsuits, Federal Election Commission complaints and next-level name-calling between a Republican congressman and a wealthy primary challenger is careening toward an uncertain finish Tuesday in Arizona.

Both are floating accusations of the other tearing down campaign yard signs and breaking the law, either for being the “Robocall King” or for violating campaign finance laws. But only one will be the Republican nominee for the newly 1st District in Arizona, a newly redrawn district that tilts to the political center — but has first seen a massive primary brawl take place on the right.

Trump-endorsed Rep. David Schweikert is facing a well-funded challenge from 32-year old vehicle warranty businessman Elijah Norton. The district includes 75 percent of Schweikert’s old, pre-redistricting constituents in Phoenix’s affluent suburbs, where he pulled off a tight win in the last general election.

But now he faces his first election since being fined for misspending campaign and office finances. In February, Schweikert was fined $125,000 by the FEC for 11 ethics violations, and he was also reprimanded by the House in 2020 and fined $50,000.

Norton’s team has run an aggressive media campaign centered on unseating corrupt politicians in an effort to undo Schweikert’s advantage as the incumbent. In response, a pro-Schweikert super PAC dubbed Norton “King of the Robocall Rip-off” and a “scam artist,” alleging that he and his company have greatly benefited from illegal robocalls.

Schweikert’s team says they own a double-digit lead in internal polling. Norton says his internal polling shows a near tie.

“We’ve entered within the margin of error,” Norton said on internal polling. “So we’re very optimistic.”

Norton is one of only a handful of challengers nationwide who has outspent an incumbent, albeit with the overwhelming majority of cash comes from self-funding loans. FEC filings show Norton has spent $4.3 million in the primary, close to the amount of money he directed into his own campaign. Schweikert, according to the most recent disclosures, has spent $1.2 million himself this election cycle.

The candidates are aligned in policy, citing the need to build a border wall on Arizona’s southern border and railing against the economic downturn.

With that alignment on policy, the race has taken a nasty personal turn. Another controversial Schweikert ad campaign insinuated Norton was gay, with the text reading “Elijah Norton isn’t being straight with you,” with a picture of Norton standing close to a blurred male.

This isn’t the first time Schweikert has been accused of homophobia during a campaign: In 2012 a campaign mailer claimed then-Republican congressman and Schweikert primary opponent Ben Quayle “goes both ways.”

And this time, the ads sparked litigation from people associated with Norton, with several lawsuits still pending. Schweikert’s team says those lawsuits, however, are being orchestrated by Norton’s campaign.

“He paid for the attorney to file the lawsuit, which is baseless,” Schweikert campaign manager Chris Baker said on litigation for the ad being called homophobic. “The people filing all those lawsuits are Elijah Norton’s attorneys.”

Norton has also complained to the FEC, calling for another investigation into Schweikert’s campaign. The FEC, according to documents shown to POLITICO, has acknowledged the complaint but has not yet reached a conclusion.

The winner will ultimately face a Democratic challenger in a November election that is being forecast as a potentially close race. President Joe Biden carried the district by 1.5 percentage points in 2020, according to POLITICO’s Redistricting Tracker. Both MAGA-centric candidates, however, still like their odds.

“Remember districts change: people move, they come and go in a state like Arizona which has significant growth and was R+9 a decade ago,” Baker said. “We remain very confident about David [Schweikert’s] strength in this district.”