Mark Lamb Wins AZ-5 With 51.5% of the Vote After Narrow Race

Mark Lamb Secures CD5 Victory With 51.5% Amid Tight Arizona House Races

Former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb won the congressional race in Arizona's 5th District with 51.5% of the vote, surviving an unexpectedly tight contest that remained undecided for nearly three full days after polls closed.

That narrow margin stands in stark contrast to the previous election cycle, when fellow Republican Andy Biggs captured the same East Valley seat with more than 60% of the vote. This time around, a blue wave shifted dynamics across the state, leaving Lamb trailing Democratic challenger Elizabeth Lee on Election Night before he reclaimed the lead as remaining ballots were tallied.

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Lamb Faces Local Scrutiny over Reported Extramarital Relationships

Lamb entered the race with an endorsement from President Donald Trump, which helped propel him through the GOP primary following an unsuccessful 2024 bid for the U.S. Senate seat previously held by Kyrsten Sinema. However, his general election campaign faced intense local media scrutiny. The Arizona Republic published reports detailing extramarital relationships involving Lamb, a married member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who built his political identity around family values. Lamb dismissed those reports as politically motivated.

On the Democratic side, Elizabeth Lee entered politics for the first time as a nurse specializing in reproductive healthcare. Lee said she was surprised by how close the contest remained as returns trickled in from Queen Creek, Gilbert, and east Mesa. Lee held a nearly five-percentage-point lead over Lamb when Tuesday’s results came in, before Lamb took back the lead overnight Wednesday.

Mark Lamb Wins AZ-5 With 51.5% of the Vote After Narrow Race — Photo: azfamily.com

Shifting Power Dynamics Across Arizona

The compressed margins in CD5 unfolded alongside broader political shifts across Arizona. Democrats seized control of the Governor’s Office and both chambers of the Arizona Legislature for the first time since 1966, while also breaking the Republican stranglehold on the Arizona Corporation Commission. Statewide polling indicated voter frustration over rising living costs, escalating energy bills, and data center developments.

Other congressional contests across the state also experienced fierce competition. In the 8th Congressional District, Republican Abe Hamadeh secured a second term by defeating Democrat Bernadette Greene-Placentia with more than 51% of the vote, defending a West Valley seat he previously won by 13 percentage points in 2024. Meanwhile, the race in Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District between Republican Eli Crane and Democrat Jonathan Nez remained one of the tightest contests of the week, with Crane holding a narrow edge in a district that favored Republicans by 9 percentage points in 2024.