Lesko is a former State Senator for Arizona who beat several Republican candidates to win the GOP primary ticket. One of the contenders is involved in a sexting scandal while the other 10 were clean but not the immediate favorite in the heavily Republican 8th Congressional District.
The seat became vacant after former US Representative Trent Franks resigned in December amid sexual misconduct charges. Frank who enjoyed tenure since 2003 acknowledged that he held surrogacy conversations with two female staffers. A former aide informed Associated Press last year that Frank pressed her to carry his child as a surrogate mother while tainting his assertiveness with the offer of $5 million for the task.
The Primary Republican Race
Lesko’s win puts her against a Democrat political newcomer called Hiral Tipirneni. The election date is set for April 24 and the winner will represent the western Phoenix suburbs.
There existed speculation that the race would be a close one between Lesko and former state Senator Steve Montenegro who is the tea party favorite endorsed by Trent Franks. Although Steve may have been a formidable rival against Lesko, he was tainted in a sexting scandal with a close friend. Steve is a married Christian minister yet he is implicated in a sexting indignity. He acknowledged last week that he received an unsolicited topless photo in form of a text from a former Senate aide. Steve defended himself by claiming that he has never had inappropriate relations with her or with anyone else for that fact. The woman had said that she had sent Steve multiple photos and that they engaged in sexual conversations about the photos.
Corinne Clark a retail worker at Surprise stores in Arizona stated that she regretted voting for Montenegro in an earlier vote before the accusations surfaced. She explained that she had voted for him because of his Christian values. On the other hand, Lesko has also faced some accusations leveled against her. It was claimed last week that she had some campaign finance irregularities where she sent $50,000 from her state campaign fund to an independent group which backed her congressional bid. She responded that it was legal.
Prospects for the Upcoming April 24 Elections
To win her primaries, Lesko had the support of former Governor Jan Brewer amongst a host of local mayors and city council members. The region is a Republican stronghold and likely to ensure her win.
Hiral Tipirneni the Democratic nominee is expected to face an uphill task to beat Lesko in a district dominated by the Republicans. Early indications via the primary ballots show a 2 to 1 win in favor of the Republicans.
