{"id":2427998,"date":"2025-04-27T10:59:02","date_gmt":"2025-04-27T14:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/longtime-nfl-kicker-makes-it-official-hes-running-for-congress-as-a-republican\/"},"modified":"2025-04-27T10:59:58","modified_gmt":"2025-04-27T14:59:58","slug":"longtime-nfl-kicker-makes-it-official-hes-running-for-congress-as-a-republican","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/longtime-nfl-kicker-makes-it-official-hes-running-for-congress-as-a-republican\/","title":{"rendered":"Longtime NFL Kicker Makes It Official: He&#8217;s Running for Congress as a Republican"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flongtime-nfl-kicker-makes-it-official-hes-running-for-congress-as-a-republican%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2427998&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Former NFL kicker Jay Feely has <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">officially announced<\/a> his candidacy for Congress as a Republican in Arizona\u2019s 5th Congressional District. The 48-year-old, who played for teams including the Arizona Cardinals and New York Jets during his 14-season career, expressed excitement about this new chapter in his life, citing a calling to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-red-wave-of-conservative-women-elected-to-congress\/\" title=\"The Red Wave of Conservative Women Elected to Congress\">public service<\/a> and faith as motivations. Following months of speculation and a filed statement of interest with the Arizona secretary of state, Feely is entering the race due to the incumbent Rep.Andy Biggs&#8217; decision to pursue the governorship.He highlighted a personal resolve to step into politics influenced by important events, including an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/amnesty-international-strips-aleksei-navalny-of-prisoner-of-conscience-status-for-decades-old-comments-on-immigration\/\" title=\"Amnesty International Strips Aleksei Navalny Of \u2018Prisoner Of Conscience\u2019 Status For Decades-Old Comments On Immigration\">assassination attempt<\/a> on former President Donald Trump.Feely joins a growing list of athletes who have transitioned to political roles, particularly within the Republican Party, and hopes his community involvement will bolster his candidacy in the upcoming election.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The transfer portal from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-cdc-director-says-covid-19-immunity-passports-could-help-u-s-get-back-to-new-normal\/\" title=\"Former CDC Director Says COVID-19 \u2018Immunity Passports\u2019 Could Help U.S. Get \u2018Back To New Normal\u2019\">sports arena<\/a> to the political arena just got a little more crowded.<\/p>\n<p>Former longtime NFL kicker Jay Feely officially announced on April 22 that he will run for Congress as a Republican in Arizona&rsquo;s 5th Congressional district, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbssports.com\/nfl\/news\/former-nfl-kicker-jay-feely-announces-he-will-run-for-congress-in-arizona-excited-about-this-next-chapter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">per<\/a> CBS Sports.<\/p>\n<p>Feely, who played 14 seasons in the NFL with teams like the Arizona Cardinals and New York Jets, seemed eager to get this new venture started.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m excited about this next chapter of my life,&rdquo; Feely <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/story\/_\/id\/44804971\/jay-feely-run-house-representatives-arizona\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told<\/a> ESPN.<\/p>\n<p>The 48-year-old also expressed a sense of duty &mdash; and faith.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think that I feel God&rsquo;s calling pressing me into service, and that&rsquo;s really what I believe it is, the civil service,&rdquo; Feely said.<\/p>\n<p>This announcement follows months of speculation, as Feely had been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/former-nfl-player-current-cbs-analyst-seriously-considering-run-congress-republican\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">seriously considering<\/a> a congressional run as a Republican, according to earlier reports.<\/p>\n<p>Feely also filed a statement of interest with the Arizona secretary of state, a required step before collecting signatures to get on the ballot.<\/p>\n<p>The seat Feely is vying for is opening up due to Rep. Andy Biggs&rsquo; gubernatorial aspirations, as Biggs announced his candidacy for Arizona governor in 2026, <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/campaign\/5262825-former-nfl-kicker-jay-feely-arizona-congress\/?tbref=hp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">per<\/a> The Hill.<\/p>\n<p>According to ESPN, his decision to run was influenced by the July 2024 assassination attempt on President Donald Trump, which Feely said motivated him to step into the political arena.<\/p>\n<p>Feely joins a notable list of athletes who have transitioned into politics, notably for the Republican Party.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/jim-jordan-threatens-letitia-james-subpoena-trump-prosecutor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jim Jordan<\/a>, a former NCAA champion wrestler, went from the mat to Congress, representing Ohio and becoming a prominent GOP voice.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/tickets-will-cost-fortune-tim-walzs-worst-nightmare-comes-true-thanks-wwe-wrestler-turned-gop-mayor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Glenn Jacobs<\/a>, better known as WWE&rsquo;s Kane, moved from professional wrestling to become the mayor of Knox County, Tennessee, as a Republican.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, a former MMA fighter, brought his competitive spirit to Congress, aligning with GOP values.<\/p>\n<p>Arnold Schwarzenegger, a bodybuilding legend, served as California&rsquo;s governor from 2003 to 2011, another high-profile Republican from the sports world.<\/p>\n<p>Jim Tressel, a celebrated football coach, transitioned into politics as Ohio&rsquo;s lieutenant governor.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Tommy Tuberville, also a former college football coach, now represents Alabama.<\/p>\n<p>Feely&rsquo;s name recognition and community involvement may give him an edge in the race as he steps into a new arena to serve Arizona.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The transition from sports to politics has become busier, as former NFL kicker Jay Feely declared on April 22 his candidacy for Congress as a Republican in Arizona&#8217;s 5th Congressional district, according to CBS Sports. Feely, who spent 14 seasons in the NFL with teams like the Arizona Cardinals and New York Jets, expressed enthusiasm for this new chapter. &#8220;I\u2019m excited about this next chapter of my life,&#8221; he told ESPN, also mentioning a sense of duty and faith driving his decision. This announcement follows months of speculation regarding his political ambitions. Feely has filed a statement of interest with the Arizona secretary of state to begin gathering signatures for the ballot. He is running for an open seat due to Rep. Andy Biggs&#8217; bid for governor in 2026, as reported by The Hill. His decision was partly influenced by the July 2024 assassination attempt on President Donald Trump, which motivated him to enter politics. Feely joins several athletes who have made similar transitions into politics within the Republican Party<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2427999,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Feely.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4402,15301,7215],"class_list":["post-2427998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-congress","tag-kicker","tag-nfl"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Feely.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2427998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2427998"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2427998\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2428003,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2427998\/revisions\/2428003"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2427999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2427998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2427998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2427998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}