Former NFL kicker Jay Feely enters Arizona GOP primary for House seat, says Trump reason he'll runs

Sports broadcaster and former NFL kicker Jay Feely has announced his bid for an open House seat in home state Arizona.

He announced his bid at a campaign-launch event Tuesday for the seat being vacated by GOP Rep. Andy Biggs, who is running for Arizona governor in 2026.

"I’m excited to announce my candidacy for U.S. Congress in Arizona’s 5th Congressional District," he said on X.

Feely, who will leave his job as a CBS Sports broadcaster, told ESPN that he started thinking about running for public office again after the July 2024 attempted assassination of President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. 

"I'm excited about this next chapter of my life," he also told the cable TV sports network. "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.

He says his campaign platform will center on securing the southern U.S. border and improving the economy.

Feely said he and his wife met with congressional Republicans in Washington, D.C., about a month ago, to gauge interest in him running for political office.

He says he already has the backing of Rep. Jim Jordan and that the Ohio Republican and Trump suggested in 2022 he run for office. However, he passed because he and wife Rebecca still had children in school.