Former prosecutor Abe Hamadeh has defeated Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma and venture capitalist Blake Masters, as well as former Congressman Trent Franks and State Senator Anthony Kern to be the Republican nomination for the hotly contested 8th Congressional District seat in the northwest Valley.

Hamadeh earned an early endorsement from Donald Trump and a coveted fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago, backing that was probably decisive for many Republican primary voters. Masters in particular seemed to reel from former president’s backing of his primary rival and even included misleading images from his 2022 Senate run, in which he’d been endorsed by Trump, to suggest that Trump was backing him in yesterday’s contest.

Even after the Trump campaign was said to have asked Masters to cut it out, misleading images continued to appear. And then, the power of suggestion seems to have actually become reality. In a very strange last-minute move, on Sunday, Trump sent out a Truth Social saying he was suddenly backing both Hamadeh and Masters.

To experienced observers of Trump world inner-workings, that looked like Masters, a multi-millionaire who spent lavishly on this race as he had on his unsuccessful 2022 Senate race, having successfully prevailed upon well-heeled Trump donors to add his name. But that bell couldn’t really be unrung, since an estimated 75% of the votes had already been cast by the time Trump put out his double endorsement.

Hamadeh was also a statewide candidate in 2022, having come just a few hundred votes shy in his Attorney General race against Democrat Kris Mayes. His efforts to contest the results in court have thus far fallen short. He now enters the general election campaign as the heavy favorite to replace Debbie Lesko, whose surprise resignation triggered this scramble among GOP hopefuls.

The numbers aren’t final yet — Arizona! — but Hamadeh seems to have bested Masters by just over 4000 votes, 29.8% to 25.3%, with Toma coming in at about 21.2%.

As the race now pivots toward the general, it will be worth paying attention to just how authentically and enthusiastically the former rivals will be able to come together for the good of a party that desperately needs some wins statewide. With Kari Lake looking to defeat Ruben Gallego and Donald Trump in a dead heat against Kamala Harris, party unity will be at a premium. Especially in the case of Blake Masters, who has substantial resources but has now underperformed in two races in a row — and said some truly nasty stuff about the guy who beat him — his future in the Arizona GOP will rely on how effectively he now advocates for his rival and co-endorsee.

Speaker Toma, meanwhile, had a conciliatory message just after the race was called. He told Arizona Globe: “The voters of Congressional District 8 made their choice clear last night as to who the Republican nominee will be in November. While I’m certainly disappointed in the outcome, I am forever grateful and humbled by the level of support shown from so many who opened their arms, their homes, and their wallets to support our campaign. It was an honor and a privilege to be endorsed and supported by so many great leaders of our state and to run a positive campaign centered on my record of accomplishments.”

Senator Kern told Arizona Globe, “Our grassroots team worked hard, prayed hard, and hoped hard! It was an uphill battle but large mountains will never stop us from getting into the battle! Congratulations to Abe Hamadeh, the next Congressman from CD08!”