Former Arizona Cardinals kicker running for Congress

Jay Feely, a former kicker for the Arizona Cardinals, announced Wednesday he is running for Congress.

The former NFL kicker is looking to replace Congressman Andy Biggs, who is looking to unseat Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs.

“It was a big decision for my entire family, but I think my wife and I both feel led that this is the right decision for us,” Feely told reporters following his announcement in Gilbert, Arizona.

Feely said he spoke with Biggs before deciding on whether to run.

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“We had breakfast, and I just said, 'You know, what are your you know, what are your intentions? What are you going to do?' He said, 'I'm all in and running for governor.' I said, 'Okay, then I'm going to actually consider running for your seat, because I have a tremendous amount of respect,'” Feely told reporters.

Feely praised President Donald Trump during his announcement and said he would support his agenda if elected into office.

"His agenda is about trying to help every day average Americans, and I trust him to continue to do that,” Feely said, when asked about the economic downturn in light of the tariffs. "If you're going to take on our debt and you're going to take on some of these trade imbalances, that's a long-term perspective, and for me, I give him a lot of credit for being willing to try and do that.”

Former state lawmaker Travis Grantham is also running for Biggs’ seat.

Republican strategist Stan Barnes told ABC15 whoever wins the primary will likely win the general election, given that Biggs’ district is heavily Republican.

“Theoretically, a Democrat could win, but theoretically Bigfoot is still alive in northern Arizona, somewhere,” Barnes joked. "It is not going to happen. This is a Republican zip code all the way around.”

The general election will be held in 2026 for both the congressional and gubernatorial races.