Chris James running for Arizona CD 5 seat

Chris James, Eastern Band of Cherokee, announced Tuesday he is
running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in Arizona. 

James is the third Native person that ICT knows of seeking
to be the first Native American to represent Arizona in Congress. Former
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and former Arizona state Rep. Eric
Descheenie, Navajo, are both in the 2nd Congressional District race. 

James is campaigning as a Democrat to represent Arizona’s 5th
Congressional District, which sits southeast of Phoenix and Mesa. It
includes parts of Gilbert, Chandler, Apache Junction and Queen Creek.
The district is largely urban and suburban, and the population is
majority White, 67 percent. 

The last Democrat to represent the 5th Congressional District, Harry Mitchell, lost re-election in 2010. 

James currently serves as president and chief executive officer of
the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development, an
organization that seeks to advance Indigenous entrepreneurs and
businesses. The organization annually hosts the popular Reservation
Economic Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada.

He joins 18 other candidates who filed a statement of interest with
the Arizona election office for the congressional seat. They include: 

• Blake Bracht, Democrat
• Bhargav Chirravuri, Democrat
• Thomas “Jay” Feely IV, Republican
• Travis Grantham, Republican
• Brian Hualde, Democrat
• Gary Johnson Jr., Democrat
• Daniel Keenan, Republican
• Chris Lee, Democrat
• Elizabeth Lee, Democrat
• Blake Lynch, Republican
• Kelley Mackaig, Republican
• Will Mcdermott, Republican
• Evan Olson, Democrat
• Justin Poff, Democrat
• Eddie SanMarco Jr., Democrat
• Lisa Schaefer, Republican
• Alex Stovall, Republican
• Manuel Vega, Democrat

Republican incumbent Rep. Andy Biggs is not running for re-election
for the congressional seat that he has held since 2016. Instead, Biggs
is campaigning for the 2026 Republican gubernatorial nomination. He is a
vocal supporter of President Donald J. Trump, including advocating that
the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

Some of the top issues listed on James’s campaign website include
investing in schools and public infrastructure, improving the economy
and protecting democracy. “Chris James believes democracy should work
for the people — not special interests, partisan extremists or election
deniers,” according to his website.

James was a political contributor to FNX and ICT’s election night broadcast in November 2024. 

He did not immediately respond to a request for comment with ICT. 

The primary election for Arizona is scheduled to be August 4, 2026 and the general election is on November 3, 2026.