Debbie Lesko won't seek reelection in 2024

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - Republican Rep. Debbie Lesko announced on Tuesday that she will not be running for reelection in 2024. Lesko, who has served three terms for Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, said she wants to spend more time with her family, and continuous travel to Washington D.C. has been difficult.

“It has been a great honor to serve the people of Arizona’s 8th Congressional District in Congress, however, I have decided not to run for reelection in 2024,” Lesko said in a statement. “I want to spend more time with my husband, my 94-year-old mother, my three children, and my five grandchildren.”

She continued. “Right now, Washington D.C. is broken; it is hard to get anything done. Please know that I will continue my work to improve Congress and to help my constituents and the American people. We must all work toward that end.”

After winning a special election, Lesko was first sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives in May 2018. She serves on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and was a member of the House Select Subcommittee for the COVID-19 pandemic. Before being elected to Congress, Lesko served in the Arizona legislature for nine years, including in the state senate. Lesko thanked her supporters and said she would continue to serve until the end of her term in January 2025.

In response to her announcement, Republican Abe Hamadeh shared he plans to run for Lesko’s spot and represent Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, which covers a large part of the West Valley, including parts of Phoenix, Glendale, Peoria, Surprise, Sun City West and Goodyear. Hamadeh shared the news on Twitter. He was the previous Republican nominee for the Arizona attorney general but lost in the 2022 election to Democrat Kris Mayes.

However, Hamadeh may face some tough questions about living outside the Congressional district. According to paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission, his listed address is in Scottsdale, which is not in the district. It’s in the state’s Second Congressional District, which GOP Rep. David Schweikert represents. The U.S. Constitution doesn’t say a U.S. representative has to live in the district they represent so it’s not illegal. But voters will want to know why they should support somebody outside the district representing them.

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