Arizona's 8th Congressional District election, 2026
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| Arizona's 8th Congressional District |
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| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: April 6, 2026 |
| Primary: August 4, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times:
6 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Race ratings |
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending Inside Elections: Solid Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| See also |
1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th Arizona elections, 2026 U.S. Congress elections, 2026 U.S. Senate elections, 2026 U.S. House elections, 2026 |
All U.S. House districts, including the 8th Congressional District of Arizona, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. The primary is August 4, 2026. The filing deadline is April 6, 2026. For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:
- Arizona's 8th Congressional District election, 2026 (August 4 Democratic primary)
- Arizona's 8th Congressional District election, 2026 (August 4 Republican primary)
Candidates and election results
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for U.S. House Arizona District 8
Incumbent Abraham Hamadeh, Jillian Barfield, and Bernadette Greene Placentia are running in the general election for U.S. House Arizona District 8 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Abraham Hamadeh (R) | |
 | Jillian Barfield (D)  | |
 | Bernadette Greene Placentia (D) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "I'm not a career Politician. I'm a working American with over 20 years of business experience and I'm ready to challenge the status-quo. It's time to rebuild the middle class and close the gap between the ultra-wealthy and everyone else. Nobody working full time should struggle to afford the basics! With over 20 years of business experience, I am firmly dedicated to bringing practical, people-first solutions to Arizona’s 8th district. During my career, I've worked for IBM in North Carolina, Mastercard in St. Louis and Waste Management right here in District 8. I've worn many hats in business, most of which involved complex technologies in one way or another. I am a single long time resident of District 8. I produce music in my spare time and I'm a songwriter and lead guitarist. I have two grown children and I reside in North Glendale. I live in the district that I hope to represent, unlike my opponent who lives in a big house in Scottsdale - and also unlike my opponent, I am dedicated to serving Arizona’s 8th district with practical solutions that prioritize the needs of her constituents, NOT the billionaires."
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "I’m a former long-haul truck driver & small fleet/small business owner with over 27 years and 3.5 million miles experience and I bring a different perspective to Congress. After Bidenomics ended my trucking career, I worked as a Campaign Mgr for multiple candidates, responsible for all aspects of their campaigns. I believe in bringing back Representative Democracy, and I am tired of the professional politicians and elitists of both Parties making irresponsible decisions & implementing useless legislation while they enrich themselves & amass power. My career gave me the opportunity to spend time in every part of America and to meet every American, so I understand the issues, concerns and worries affecting the majority of us and will therefore introduce common-sense, implementable solutions that will actually solve problems and improve the lives of everyday Americans. I hold my Democratic ideals close but my allegiance will always be to the People, not to a Party. I’m a pro-choice, pro-union, pro-Ukraine, life-long gun owner & Conservative Democrat. I support strengthening our borders & protecting American jobs while respecting the Rights of others. I’ll fight to protect SS, Women’s healthcare rights, secure our water resources & support public schools and will work to ensure every American has the opportunity & resources to achieve their dreams. I believe in supporting our Veterans, & will fight to protect the most vulnerable amongst us, like our children and the elderly."
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Arizona
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Survey responses from candidates in this race
Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
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Jillian Barfield (D)
The current "representative" . . . To date, Abe Hamadeh refuses to hold a single town hall to meet with his constituents and he doesn't even live in the district he supposedly represents!
Arizona's District 8 deserves better!
There are issues that are unique to Arizona that I will take on as US Representative for Arizona District 8. To date, Abe Hamadeh has done nothing to address these issues, although he did play a strong role in gerrymandering our district!
Affordable Child Care. A livable wage. Affordable housing. Intelligent water conservation. Women's Right-to-Choose Gerrymandered District 8 Homelessness The Fentanyl Crisis Teacher Equity
and more...
Intimidation and Corruption are becoming the norm in all three branches of government. From Congressional Insider Trading, Billionaires and Corporations giving unlimited sums to politicians through dark money and Super PACs and Supreme Court Justices accepting extravagant gifts and travel from billionaires whose cases are before the court.
Peaceful protest is met with threats and intimidation by the current administration. Peaceful protest is one of the bedrocks of America and I will protect the First Amendment Right to protest.
This is what Abe Hamadeh considers making America great?
I will not only work on issues directly affecting Arizona, I will be a strong advocate for ending intimidation and corruption in Washington.I will fight to protect Social Security, expand Medicare and Medicaid, support our public schools, our Veterans and I want to increase support for Law Enforcement via better pay, better training, better equipment and better access to mental health care while eliminating those that have no business carrying a badge. We need to secure our border, but recognize the need for legal workers. We need to reengage with our Allies to fight Chinese & Russian aggression, and reclaim America’s position as a global leader.
I strongly believe in Representative Democracy; 25% of the Senate and 67% of the Supreme Court went to schools just .04% of Americans can get into. Over 60% of Congresspeople are multimillionaires before they get to Congress, and nearly 100% of them have doubled their net worth within 4 years of taking office. We have Representatives that have never lived outside of an area with mass transit, and most do not know the price of eggs, or gas. What chance does a high school graduate have of ever buying a home? We need to offer more opportunities for training and affordable educational opportunities for everyone; the tax breaks for billionaires needs to end, and we need to start paying down our debt without cutting essential social services.
Jillian Barfield (D)
There are so many challenges to be addressed in a short time.
I feel that past generations have a responsibility to leave the world in better condition than they found it. I fear that won't happen, but I will work to make it better.
Jillian Barfield (D)
Jillian Barfield (D)
Jillian Barfield (D)
Jillian Barfield (D)
Jillian Barfield (D)
Jillian Barfield (D)
Jillian Barfield (D)
Jillian Barfield (D)
Jillian Barfield (D)
Jillian Barfield (D)
Jillian Barfield (D)
Jillian Barfield (D)
Jillian Barfield (D)
Jillian Barfield (D)
Jillian Barfield (D)
Jillian Barfield (D)
Jillian Barfield (D)
Jillian Barfield (D)
Jillian Barfield (D)
A short joke would be from 'Back to School' by Rodney Dangerfield:
Diane: I'd love to go with you, but I've got a class right now.
Thornton Melon:
Well, why don't you come and see me some time when you have no class.
Jillian Barfield (D)
I can't say it better than Warren Buffet, a very successful billionaire who says that fair taxation from large corporations and wealthy individuals would reduce the tax burden faced by ordinary Americans.
He argues balancing the tax system would allow the U.S. to manage the increasing fiscal deficit and provide enough funding for public services and infrastructure. (source: Investopedia.com)
For some reason, (we can only imagine why) entrenched Republicans are about to pass what Trump calls the "Big Beautiful Bill" which will tax the working poor and middle class while giving huge tax breaks to billionaires while causing the already massive US debt to skyrocket.
It's insane.
Jillian Barfield (D)
Jillian Barfield (D)
Jillian Barfield (D)
Jillian Barfield (D)
Abe Hamadeh supports everything that the Trump administration is doing, and they are doing a LOT to end financial transparency and government accountability.
The current administration in Washington has taken extraordinary steps to hide their actions by firing Inspector Generals whose job it is to root out fraud and corruption in the government and by giving a clandestine group of unaccountable people (DOGE), access to every piece of date in our government. I believe that history will prove these actions illegal, dangerous and harmful to the United States and the world.
You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:
Campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abraham Hamadeh | Republican Party | $453,703 | $242,388 | $247,723 | As of June 30, 2025 |
| Jillian Barfield | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Bernadette Greene Placentia | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
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General election race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[1]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[2][3][4]
| Race ratings: Arizona's 8th Congressional District election, 2026 | |||||||||
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| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| 9/2/2025 | 8/26/2025 | 8/19/2025 | 8/12/2025 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Decision Desk HQ and The Hill | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week. | |||||||||
Ballot access
This section will contain information on ballot access related to this state's elections when it is available.
District history
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.
2024
See also: Arizona's 8th Congressional District election, 2024
Arizona's 8th Congressional District election, 2024 (July 30 Republican primary)
Arizona's 8th Congressional District election, 2024 (July 30 Democratic primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Arizona District 8
Abraham Hamadeh defeated Gregory Whitten in the general election for U.S. House Arizona District 8 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Abraham Hamadeh (R) | 56.5 | 208,269 |
 | Gregory Whitten (D) | 43.5 | 160,344 | |
| Total votes: 368,613 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jeremy Spreitzer (D)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 8
Gregory Whitten advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 8 on July 30, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Gregory Whitten | 100.0 | 47,406 |
| Total votes: 47,406 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 8
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 8 on July 30, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Abraham Hamadeh | 29.9 | 30,686 |
 | Blake Masters | 25.7 | 26,422 | |
 | Ben Toma | 21.0 | 21,549 | |
 | Trent Franks | 16.3 | 16,714 | |
 | Anthony Kern | 4.8 | 4,922 | |
 | Patrick Briody | 2.3 | 2,336 | |
 | Isiah Gallegos (Write-in) | 0.0 | 35 | |
| Total votes: 102,664 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Debbie Lesko (R)
2022
General election
General election for U.S. House Arizona District 8
Incumbent Debbie Lesko defeated Jeremy Spreitzer and Alixandria Guzman in the general election for U.S. House Arizona District 8 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Debbie Lesko (R) | 96.5 | 197,555 |
 | Jeremy Spreitzer (D) (Write-in) | 2.5 | 5,145 | |
| Alixandria Guzman (D) (Write-in) | 1.0 | 2,013 | ||
| Total votes: 204,713 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Richard Grayson (D)
Democratic primary election
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- James Holmes (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 8
Incumbent Debbie Lesko advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 8 on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Debbie Lesko | 100.0 | 100,629 |
| Total votes: 100,629 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Charly Corazon (R)
2020
General election
General election for U.S. House Arizona District 8
Incumbent Debbie Lesko defeated Michael Muscato and Taliban Hendrix in the general election for U.S. House Arizona District 8 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Debbie Lesko (R) | 59.6 | 251,633 |
 | Michael Muscato (D) | 40.4 | 170,816 | |
| Taliban Hendrix (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 18 | ||
| Total votes: 422,467 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Ryan Risselman (R)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 8
Michael Muscato defeated Bob Olsen, Bob Musselwhite, and Kyle Martin in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 8 on August 4, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Michael Muscato | 54.4 | 35,923 |
 | Bob Olsen | 31.1 | 20,547 | |
 | Bob Musselwhite | 14.5 | 9,578 | |
| Kyle Martin (Write-in) | 0.1 | 45 | ||
| Total votes: 66,093 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 8
Incumbent Debbie Lesko advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 8 on August 4, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Debbie Lesko | 100.0 | 105,758 |
| Total votes: 105,758 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jimmy Rodriguez (R)
District analysis
This section will contain facts and figures related to this district's elections when those are available.
See also
| Arizona | 2026 primaries | 2026 U.S. Congress elections |
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Voting in Arizona Arizona elections: 2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 |
Republican primary battlegrounds U.S. Senate Democratic primaries U.S. Senate Republican primaries U.S. House Democratic primaries U.S. House Republican primaries |
U.S. Senate elections U.S. House elections Special elections Ballot access |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
