Ex-NFL kicker advances to November general election -- where he'll face his former team doctor

Former NFL kicker Jay Feely during his victory speech.

A former NFL kicker advanced in the Arizona primary race for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, and he'll be squaring off in the November general election with a familiar face -- his former team doctor. 

Republican Jay Feely, who had a 14-year career in the NFL and worked as a broadcaster for CBS Sports after retiring, won his primary race Tuesday in Arizona for the state's 1st Congressional District. Feely was backed by Trump, and his primary victory adds to a long list of candidates endorsed by the president who have advanced to November's general election.

"Who can call [Trump] and who can get him to answer? That’s me,” Feely said during a primary debate last month, according to The New York Post. “He will take my call and he will listen. I have the ability to have the ear of the president.”

In his victory speech, Feely warned about the rising tide of socialism sweeping the Democrat Party. “Why did I decide to run for office? It is a desire to leave this country better for our children and our grandchildren. The Democrat Party has embraced Democrat Socialism. They have chosen to move further to the left. They are talking about abolishing the border. They are talking about abolishing the police department," Feely told supporters, declaring, "We're not going to let it happen."

The former kicker will go head to head with Democrat Amish Shah, a former Arizona state representative and a physician who worked as a sideline doctor for The New York Jets while Feely was a kicker for the team. Shah, in a post on X celebrating his primary victory, slammed the Iran war as "reckless" and bemoaned "corrupt and self-interested politicians in Congress are making life harder for people, not easier."

The race between Feely and Shah is seen as a critical battleground race that could determine whether Republicans maintain control of the House, or Democrats gain the majority. As of Thursday, the prediction market Kalshi shows betters are giving Shah a 70% chance of winning the November election. 

Feely played for six teams during his NFL career, including the New York Jets and Giants and the Arizona Cardinals. He kicked 332 field goals over that time with a career-long of 61 yards. Arizona's 1st Congressional District House seat was vacated by Republican David Schweikert, who ran for governor. He lost his primary race to Andy Biggs on Tuesday, another Trump-backed candidate. In fact, all seven candidates endorsed by Trump won in the Arizona primary. 

Below, watch a clip from Feely's victory speech.