{"id":2633561,"date":"2026-07-22T10:12:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T14:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arizona-democrat-triumphs-over-dsa-opponent-in-latest-socialist-challenge\/"},"modified":"2026-07-22T10:17:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T14:17:14","slug":"arizona-democrat-triumphs-over-dsa-opponent-in-latest-socialist-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arizona-democrat-triumphs-over-dsa-opponent-in-latest-socialist-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"Arizona Democrat triumphs over DSA opponent in latest socialist challenge"},"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\">20<\/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%2Farizona-democrat-triumphs-over-dsa-opponent-in-latest-socialist-challenge%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=2633561&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>Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ) convincingly won his Democratic primary against DSA-backed challenger Kai Newkirk, securing about 65% of the vote. Stanton, who represents Arizona\u2019s 4th Congressional District following redistricting, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >received broad support amid<\/a> a primary season where left-wing candidates made notable gains, but ultimately was not challenged effectively. Newkirk conceded and pledged support for Stanton, despite previous sharp criticisms of Stanton&#8217;s policies, including his stance on Israel, the Laken Riley Act, and issues related to Gaza and immigration enforcement. Newkirk\u2019s campaign was marred by unfounded rumors of misconduct, leading to a temporary withdrawal of endorsements from some groups, though prominent figures like Bernie Sanders maintained their backing.Stanton emphasized unity post-election, welcoming diverse voters and emphasizing a rejection of extremism. Newkirk\u2019s loss marks a setback for the DSA\u2019s recent surge, which saw over 30 socialist candidates win primaries nationwide.  <\/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<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ) crushed his <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democratic-socialists-of-america\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"5861\">Democratic Socialists of America<\/a>-backed opponent, Kai Newkirk, taking two-thirds of the vote in Tuesday\u2019s Democratic primary.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stanton has presided over what is now <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/arizona\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"327\">Arizona\u2019s<\/a> 4th Congressional District, following 2022 redistricting, which includes most of Phoenix. In an election cycle that has seen the Democratic Party\u2019s left flank make serious inroads against establishment incumbents, Arizona proved a bridge too far, with the DSA\u2019s prime candidate being fully routed.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4649449\/august-social-security-direct-payment-nine-days\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>August Social Security direct payment worth $994 goes out in nine days<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4658299\/greg-stanton-beats-dsa-backed-opponent-latest-socialist-challenge\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Greg Stanton triumphs over DSA-backed opponent in latest socialist challenge<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4649362\/first-round-august-social-security-payments-21-days\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>First round of August Social Security payments goes out in 21 days<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stanton, a former Phoenix mayor, claimed 65% of the Democratic vote with 83.4% of the vote counted Wednesday morning, compared to Newkirk\u2019s 35%.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a post on Facebook, Newkirk said he called Stanton to concede the race and pledged his support for him against Republican Zuhdi Jasser, who ran unopposed in his primary.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAlthough tonight\u2019s outcome is painful for me and all of us who worked so hard in this campaign, I am proud of the grassroots campaign we built so quickly and the voice we gave to thousands of Arizonans who are hungry for a different kind of leadership and an end to a corrupt status quo that has failed us,\u201d he wrote, apologizing for \u201ccoming up short this time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His conciliatory tone was different from that taken throughout the campaign, when he repeatedly bashed Stanton for issues ranging from his support for Israel to alleged corruption to his support for the Laken Riley Act.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe has refused to do anything to try to hold the extremist Israeli government accountable for its genocide in Gaza, for the war crimes around the region,\u201d Newkirk said of Stanton during the campaign.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He was particularly harsh over the Democratic incumbent\u2019s vote for the Laken Riley Act, one of 46 House Democrats to support the bill, which he said, \u201cgave Trump a green light for his authoritarian mass deportation campaign and began this erosion of due process.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 2025 law requires federal immigration enforcement to detain illegal immigrants who are charged with serious crimes.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Stanton\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/gregstantonaz\/status\/2079776559418819034?s=20\">statement<\/a> after the race was called, he made a plea to Newkirk\u2019s supporters, thanking Newkirk and his supporters for their \u201cpassion and energy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur campaign welcomes Arizonans from all political stripes \u2013 liberals, conservatives, independents alike \u2013 who love this country, believe in its promise, and refuse to let extremism define its future,\u201d Stanton said. \u201cIf you believe the same, there is room for you in this campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Newkirk was Stanton\u2019s first Democratic <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Greg_Stanton\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Greg_Stanton\">primary challenger<\/a> since he first ran in 2019.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Newkirk\u2019s campaign was plagued by rumors of sexual misconduct in the final weeks, though actual claims against him never materialized, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.azcentral.com\/story\/news\/politics\/elections\/2026\/07\/10\/az-4th-congressional-district-candidate-losing-endorsements\/90865484007\/?gnt-cfr=1&#038;gca-cat=p&#038;gca-uir=false&#038;gca-epti=z11xx54p119650l11xx50c119650e1146xxv11xx54&#038;gca-ft=32&#038;gca-ds=sophi\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.azcentral.com\/story\/news\/politics\/elections\/2026\/07\/10\/az-4th-congressional-district-candidate-losing-endorsements\/90865484007\/?gnt-cfr=1&#038;gca-cat=p&#038;gca-uir=false&#038;gca-epti=z11xx54p119650l11xx50c119650e1146xxv11xx54&#038;gca-ft=32&#038;gca-ds=sophi\">according to<\/a> <em>Azcentral<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4624938\/over-30-socialists-won-primaries-2026-elections\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4624938\/over-30-socialists-won-primaries-2026-elections\/\">OVER 30 SOCIALISTS HAVE WON PRIMARIES THIS YEAR<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite a lack of concrete allegations going public, the rumors were worrying enough that the Arizona Young Democrats publicly <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/lauragersony\/status\/2075319277994062162?s=20\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/x.com\/lauragersony\/status\/2075319277994062162?s=20\">rescinded<\/a> their endorsement of him on July 9, citing a \u201cconcerning pattern of behavior.\u201d Other power players stuck by him, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Our Revolution, a group founded by Sanders.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Newkirk was the DSA\u2019s headline candidate in Arizona\u2019s primaries, and his lopsided loss puts a check on the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4624938\/over-30-socialists-won-primaries-2026-elections\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4624938\/over-30-socialists-won-primaries-2026-elections\/\">increasing energy<\/a> that has seen the group triumph in over 30 primaries nationwide.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Greg Stanton beats DSA-backed rival in AZ primary<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2653,"featured_media":2633562,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP24311183652929.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4472,4912,74849,3728],"class_list":["post-2633561","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-arizona","tag-democrat","tag-dsa","tag-election"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP24311183652929.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2633561","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\/2653"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2633561"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2633561\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2633565,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2633561\/revisions\/2633565"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2633562"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2633561"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2633561"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2633561"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}