As President Donald Trump and Republican groups spend millions to help a GOP candidate and the president’s longtime golf buddy, he distances himself from the White House and skips Trump’s rally.
Jay Feely, a former NFL kicker, is running against Democrat Amish Shah in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District. Republican groups have coughed up more than $22 million to help get him elected at a frantic pace, with most of the funding coming just weeks before the midterms, according to Politico.
Despite pouring millions into Feely, the Trump-endorsed candidate skipped Trump’s October 14 rally in Bullhead City, Arizona.
Feely’s campaign consultant, Brian Seitchik, told The Arizona Republic that the candidate “regrettably could not attend” the event but did not offer an explanation.
The absence comes as Feely seeks to distance himself from Trump despite their years of friendship forged on the golf course.
“I will stand up to anyone, including the president,” Feely wrote on social media this week, before adding that protecting his district and state was his priority.
The Politico report, which cites two Trump officials and two other people familiar with the situation, says Trump’s team is giving Feely the political room to separate himself from the administration as Republicans fight to retain the House majority.
The campaign centers on a district Trump carried by just three percentage points in 2024, and Democrats see the seat as up for grabs.
Feely previously embraced the Trump link and promoted the president’s endorsement during the Republican primary and spoke at the party’s September midterm convention in Dallas.
At Trump’s urging, he also shifted his campaign to Arizona’s 1st congressional district after launching his campaign in the 5th.
But as the general election approached, Feely told Axios Phoenix that he was “nobody’s rubber stamp,” in what was perceived as a willingness to oppose Trump on issues that affect local voters.
His opponent has tried to exploit Feely’s ties to Trump and criticized the administration’s economic policies, pitching himself as the candidate who will act independently of the president.
Despite moving away from Trump, Feely defended the president’s tariffs and the war with Iran during a televised debate earlier this month.
With control of the House at risk, Trump’s allies are investing heavily in a candidate who is trying to convince voters he is not aligned with the historically unpopular president on everything.
Polls show the race could come down to whether the district’s large number of independent voters turn out. Despite the district’s Republican advantage in registrations, Cook Political Report rates the race “lean Democratic.”