Former Arizona Cardinals kicker Jay Feely is the second most popular politician in the Grand Canyon State.
That’s according to Noble Predictive Insights’ latest power rankings of powerful figures in the state among all voters.
For Feely, who entered the race for the 1st Congressional District last month, this is good news.
Feely runs for competitive district
He originally launched a campaign for the 5th Congressional District, held by the retiring Rep. Andy Biggs, who is pursuing the office of governor. But he changed his mind after Trump encouraged him to “run in a different district or for a different office” in a November social media post.
He is up against State Republican Party chairwoman Gina Swoboda, who is ranked No. 37.
On Jan. 6, Trump, in a Truth Social post, issued a double endorsement for the district. Calling Feely and Swoboda “fierce advocates” of the MAGA movement, the president said the two candidates will “work tirelessly” to further the America First agenda.
“Therefore, I am honored to give both Jay Feely and Gina Swoboda my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Representative of Arizona’s 1st Congressional District,” he said. “JAY OR GINA WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”
It’s not uncommon for him to support multiple candidates in a congressional race that is speculated to be the most expensive and competitive this election cycle.
So far, the race for the 1st Congressional District has been marked as a “toss-up.”
Placing 41st is Marlene Woods, a former broadcast journalist who is also running for this district. She unsuccessfully ran in the Democratic primary in 2024, losing to Dr. Amish Shah, also vying for the seat.
Among Arizona’s 10 most popular
In first place is Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz. Meanwhile, Kate Gallego, the mayor of Phoenix and the senator’s ex-wife, placed third.
Neither of them is up for reelection but State Treasurer Kimberly Yee, a Republican and the first Asian American woman elected to the Arizona State Legislature, is. Yee placed fourth in the survey.
Democrats dominated the rest of the list of popular figures.
“This is not strictly due to the partisan affiliation of the individuals but the fact that in today’s political landscape in Arizona, certain Democrats tend to have higher profiles. This contributes to a higher name ID and higher net favorability,” as per Noble Predictive Insights.
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes placed fifth. He will go up against Republican state Rep. Alexander Kolodin, a Turning Point USA-backed candidate. Kolodin did not make it on the list of the state’s 50 most influential power brokers.
Jonathan Nez, the former Navajo Nation president running for Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District, ranked sixth.
He challenges Republican incumbent Rep. Eli Crane in a potential rematch after Crane secured a second term with 54% of the vote.
Arizona governor’s race polling heats up
Incumbent Gov. Katie Hobbs is the 10th most popular in the survey. She faces several known GOP opponents, including the top three — Reps. Andy Biggs, ranking No. 44, David Schweikert, No. 26, and businessperson Taylor Robson, No. 42.
Schweikert is “more viable as a candidate for the general election than Biggs and Robson,” Mike Noble, CEO of Noble Predictive Insights, told KTAR News 92.3.
But would Schweikert be as popular in the primary? Among Republicans, he ranks in seventh place, behind Biggs at sixth place and ahead of Robson at 15th.
“It’s going to be a very fascinating primary to watch, especially when you have three quality candidates like that in there,” he said.
Hobbs is leading in terms of campaign financing. She raised $5.9 million in 2025, the largest fundraising haul for a gubernatorial candidate during a nonelection year, as State Affairs reported.
Outside PACs, including Turning Point PAC, which backs Biggs, have spent at least $1 million on the gubernatorial candidates.
Hobbs is still outraising the field. She secured nearly $5.9 million for her reelection campaign in 2025, the largest-ever fundraising haul for a gubernatorial candidate during a nonelection year, according to State Affairs. Raising $1.8 million in the last quarter, Hobbs started the year with $6.2 million cash on hand.
Robson raised a little over $700,000, with $1.1 million on hand. Biggs raised almost as much as Robson, $694,000, with about $783,000 on hand, as Axios reported. Meanwhile, Schweikert, who entered the race in October 2025, generated $872,000 in funds, starting the year with $279,000 on hand.
Inflation, health care and affordable housing are the top three issues at the forefront of Arizona voters’ minds. Although 44% of voters considered immigration a top issue last year, only 38% felt the same this time around.