Ex-Giants, Jets kicker Jay Feely reveals how Trump assassination attempt inspired him to run for Congress
He’s got a leg up on the competition. Former NFL kicker Jay Feely — whose career included stints with the New York Giants and Jets — announced Tuesday that he’ll run as a Republican for Arizona’s 5th District seat in the House of Representatives. “I’m excited about this next chapter of my life,” Feely told ESPN.“I think that I feel God’s calling pressing me into service, and that’s really what I believe it is, is the civil service.“I don’t believe we have enough politicians that get into political office not for self-serving measures and that get into political office and don’t want it to be a career, and that’s what I believe,” he added.
“I believe it is very much a civil service.”Feely, 48, is running in the 2026 election for the congressional seat currently occupied by former House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) — who announced in January that he’s running for governor in the Grand Canyon State.Arizona’s 5th District is considered a safe Republican seat, with Biggs and President Trump both winning the district by a 20 percentage point margin last November. Feely is the third major GOP candidate to announce a bid for the 5th District. Former state Rep.Travis Grantham and Army veteran and Trump 2020 campaign field organizer Alex Stovall announced their candidacies earlier this month. Feely, who describes himself as “a proud conservative and staunch supporter of President Donald Trump,” has already secured at least one notable endorsement, from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). “I’m honored to have the endorsement of Congressman @Jim_Jordan, a fearless conservative and unwavering champion of the America First agenda,” Feely wrote on X.
“His support is deeply meaningful as we launch this campaign to defend our freedoms and deliver real, lasting results for the East Valley.” Feely told ESPN that Jordan and Trump both asked him to run for Congress in 2022, but he decli...