Exclusive: The former NFL kicker is opening a congressional bid on Tuesday after revealing to Fox News Digital that he has decided to run for office.
Sports commentator Jay Ferry is taking part in the Republican primary for Arizona’s Fifth Congressional District, replacing Rep. Andy Biggs, who is running to become Grand Canyon’s next governor.
Ferry said it was an attempt to assassinate then presidential candidate Donald Trump that urged him to take office last year, during his long-standing political interest.
“The laws that Democrats went to President Trump and you saw him get shot. It was a big moment for me. I remember that I really started thinking about running to the office the day he was shot,” he told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview just before the announcement.
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CBS Sports Sideline reporter Jay Feely is in a game between the Carolina Panthers and the Los Angeles Chargers of the Sofi Stadium. The Panthers defeated the Chargers 21-16. (Kirby Lee-Usa Today Sports)
Ferry played for the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears. Recently, he is a CBS Sports Analyst.
He said some of his experience with the NFL Players Association’s Executive Committee is an opportunity to hone his leadership skills and bring potential to Washington.
“It was one of those times when we had a lockout and players were locked out by their owners. We had to negotiate,” he said.
“These types of negotiations are similar to what’s going on in the House and Senate, and they’re going on in Congress, and you’re always doing that kind of negotiation.
Democrats argue that his party should not look kindly at foreign governments supporting Trump.
On December 8, 2023, signs stand at Organ Pipe National Monument near the US-Mexico border in Lukeville, Arizona, warnings of smuggling and illegal immigration. The surge in immigrants illegally passing openings cut into border walls by smugglers has overwhelmed US immigration authorities and has shut down several international ports of entry so officers can help them handle new arrivals. (John Moore/Getty Images)
Among the major policy changes at the border, Feely argues that the biggest problem facing states is illegal immigration.
“Democrats told us they needed a bill passed in Congress or could not amend the border, and President Biden would have sat down and tens of millions of illegals came to our country and he could have taken the action President Trump had been in three months,” he said.
The Republican primary now includes former House Speaker Pro Tempole Travis Grantham and Army veteran Alex Stovall.
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Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Az) will speak at a press conference. On Tuesday, Biggs said he was considering running the Arizona governor. (Getty Images)
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Cook’s political report ranks the district as a solid Republican, not the target of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, in the case of Arizona’s first, second and sixth districts.
Still, Ferry believes he is a “university” than what is expected to be a competitive intermediate cycle, as Republicans have a very narrow majority in the House.
“I think one thing from a Republican perspective is that we don’t stay united. Democrats will continue to unite even if they are completely against the issue. They are united. They have given a lot of credibility since President Trump took office since Johnson took this.
Cameron Arcand is a political writer for Fox News Digital at Washington DC.
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