Kai Newkirk centered his campaign on Stanton’s vote against cutting off U.S. aid to Israel. Unofficial results show Stanton with about two-thirds of the vote.
Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) won the Democratic primary in Arizona’s Fourth Congressional District on July 21, defeating democratic socialist organizer Kai Newkirk.
Unofficial results posted by Maricopa County showed Stanton with 32,345 votes, or 65.03 percent, to Newkirk’s 17,397 votes, or 34.97 percent. Write-in candidates received 72 votes. Those figures were posted as of 3:05 a.m. local time on July 22.
Newkirk, an organizer who has described himself as a democratic socialist, campaigned against Stanton’s support from groups aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the congressman’s acceptance of corporate contributions, and his vote for the Laken Riley Act, a 2025 federal law that requires mandatory detention of illegal immigrants accused or convicted of crimes.
Newkirk was endorsed by Our Revolution, the group founded by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
The most recent flashpoint was a July 15 House roll-call vote. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) offered an amendment to the fiscal 2027 State Department appropriations bill that would have barred military funds going to Israel. It failed, 104 to 314. Democrats split, with 103 voting yes, 98 voting no, and 10 voting present. Stanton voted no. Massie was the only Republican to vote yes.
“This campaign presented voters with a real choice about how Democrats should lead,” Stanton said in a statement posted to his campaign website on July 21. “Tonight, they chose proven leadership that fights back, delivers real results, and brings our party together.”
Stanton thanked Newkirk and his supporters in the same statement for what he called the passion and energy they brought to the race, and said his campaign welcomed liberals, conservatives, and independents.
Newkirk said in a statement on Facebook that he had called Stanton to concede and would support him in November.
Stanton will face Republican Zuhdi Jasser, who was unopposed in his primary and received 34,659 votes. Jasser has positioned himself as a strong supporter of Israel, writing in a post on Facebook on Election Day, in response to a campaign sign vandalized with a Star of David, “Unfortunately, too many politicians choose silence when confronted with antisemitism.”
“Greg Stanton has repeatedly failed to speak with moral clarity on this issue. Arizona deserves leaders who will stand against hatred whenever and wherever it appears. I have done so throughout my career, and will continue to do so in Congress. They will never silence my support for Israel, the Jewish people, or America,” Jasser said.
Stanton served on the Phoenix City Council from 2000 to 2009 and as mayor from 2012 to 2018. He was first elected to Congress in 2018 and is seeking a fifth term. His campaign lists endorsements from Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.), the Arizona AFL-CIO, Reproductive Freedom for All, and several labor affiliates, including Ironworkers Local 75 and Arizona chapters of the Teamsters, the National Association of Letter Carriers, and the United Food and Commercial Workers.
The Arizona result comes after progressive challengers unseated Democratic incumbents in primaries in New York and Colorado earlier this summer, with pro-Israel fundraising of moderate Democrats used as a campaign issue for several of the progressive challengers.
By Chase Smith
