From gridiron to Capitol Hill: Jay Feely kicks off congressional run in 5th Arizona District

April 23, 2025 Tabish Faraz

Former NFL kicker Jay Feely has announced his candidacy for Congress in the 5th Arizona Congressional District via a post on X.

Feely, running as a Republican, expressed enthusiasm for earning voters’ support, linking to his campaign website and using the hashtag #TeamFeely alongside a promotional image.

The announcement marks his first bid for political office in a district encompassing Gilbert, Queen Creek and parts of Chandler and Mesa.

Following the announcement, Feely shared also on X an endorsement from Congressman Jim Jordan. He described Jordan as a “fearless conservative” and “unwavering champion of the America First agenda,” noting the endorsement’s significance for his campaign to “defend our freedoms” and deliver results for the East Valley.

Later, Feely posted a photo with his family on stage, writing, “Having my wife, my kids and grandkids with me at our campaign launch event meant the world to me.”

He also reposted user Cactus Politics’ post featuring a video of him speaking to the press post-campaign launch event. The post, via The Floridian and Texas Politics publisher Javier Manjarres, quoted Feely saying Donald Trump’s assassination attempt impacted his decision, prompting him to reflect on doing more for the country.

About 18 minutes before the time of this writing, Feely posted about appearing on the Mike Broomhead show on KTAR923 at 8:30 AM to discuss his congressional run.

Before the announcement, Feely’s political posts on X revealed his leanings.

On Monday, he shared an Axios post, which shared their article on the scoop that top Democrats were trying to send a delegation to El Salvador, and wrote, “I for One support this effort and I am willing to help send as many House democrats as possible to El Salvador. I will even pay for a tattoo artist to accompany this trip and give them matching MS-13 tattoos while there.”

On the Sunday before this past one, he shared a post by the White House’s official X account, which quoted President Trump in the post as saying, “‘This Holy Week, Melania and I join in prayer with Christians celebrating the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ—the living Son of God who conquered death, freed us from sin, and unlocked the gates of Heaven for all of humanity.’,” and wrote his opinion on the White House’s post that he shared, saying, “Quite the difference from last year under Biden.”

On the 1st of the month, Feely shared a post by Turning Point USA and Turning Point Action founder & CEO Charlie Kirk, who is followed by Elon Musk and shared the news that Republican Randy Fine had defeated Democrat Josh Weil to win the FL-06 Congressional seat vacated by Mike Walz, and wrote his opinion on the post by Kirk, saying, “we needed to keep this seat.”

Earlier on the same day, while sharing a video clip of FOX News show “Outnumbered,” he wrote in another post, “Equity vs Equality One of the biggest differences between the two parties. You cannot control outcomes bc you can’t control individual behaviors. We must endeavor to create equal opportunity for all. It’s up to you to take advantage of your opportunity.”

A day earlier, Feely reposted a post by Utah Senator Mike Lee’s personal X account, which had the post say: “1. Americans are drowning in red tape—100,000 pages of new federal rules in 2024 alone, all from unelected bureaucrats The REINS Act would stop this by requiring Congress to vote on & pass ‘major rules’ *before* they may take effect We must take back our freedom in 2025!”

A day before that, he called attacks on Tesla dealerships “domestic terrorism,” writing — and tagging the correct X account of DOGE but the incorrect X account of Elon Musk –, “what’s happening at Tesla dealerships is organized, paid for domestic terrorism. It’s clear @elon & @DOGE are getting close to the target [target emoji]

We’ve been defrauded by politicians using tax payer dollars to enrich their families & themselves. We need transparency & accountability.”

Among numerous other political posts Feely had made on his X account before that, his last year’s post, of July 23rd’s, had him expressed his strong support for President Donald Trump, stating he was “proud to call him my friend” and had backed him in 2016, 2020 and 2024, especially after an assassination attempt on Trump. He criticized the “left” for political warfare, urging followers to “stand up and fight.”

On August 15, 2020, Feely shared a photo of himself golfing with Trump, praising their discussions on family, politics and Trump’s “earnest desires” for the country.

These posts highlight Feely’s alignment with Trump and conservative values.

Feely’s X activity underscores his conservative stance and campaign focus on America First policies. His candidacy enters a competitive Republican primary for the solidly Republican district, with the election set for 2026.