David Schweikert's last hurrah? The Republic takes an in-depth look at his reelection race

The congressman from the suburbs east of Phoenix had won his seat by toppling a veteran political incumbent but had been defying political gravity in a politically challenging district.

This time, his rivals were sure the political atmospherics were finally right to oust him.

It was 2010, and the U.S. House member was Rep. Harry Mitchell, D-Ariz., the longtime former mayor of Tempe and a former state senator.

I was The Arizona Republic's national politics reporter and I well remember the intensity of the political season that year.

It was the aftermath of the Great Recession, and economic anxiety remained high. President Barack Obama's push for health-care reform, eventually enacted as his signature Affordable Care Act, had helped fuel the rise of the right's fiscally conservative "tea party." The Arizona Legislature's passage of the strict immigration-enforcement law known as Senate Bill 1070 had ignited a national furor.

Mitchell had gotten into Congress by upsetting six-term Rep. J.D. Hayworth, R-Ariz., in a 2006 political battle royale. But what then was the GOP-leaning 5th Congressional District was challenging for Democrats — even one who had his own statue at Tempe City Hall. In 2010, Mitchell lost a rematch against his 2008 Republican rival David Schweikert, a former Maricopa County treasurer and a former state legislator.

Fast forward 14 years and it's Schweikert, now seeking an eighth House term, whose time may be running out. And it's the Democrats who smell blood in his district, which since his election has been redrawn twice and is now Arizona's 1st Congressional District and less GOP-friendly.

I'm now The Republic's national politics editor, and over the years I've seen Schweikert's career take twists and turns and from time to time hit bumps.

In 2012, after redistricting, Schweikert had to defend his seat from fellow incumbent Rep. Ben Quayle, R-Ariz., the son of former Vice President Dan Quayle. Schweikert won, but it was a bitter campaign.

As a conservative rebel, Schweikert had gotten crosswise with House Republican leaders who as punishment temporarily booted him off the House Financial Services Committee. He rebounded and eventually got a seat on the powerful tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee.

Schweikert publicly flirted with a 2016 primary challenge to then-Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., but didn't pull the trigger.

In 2018, Schweikert came under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for campaign and office misspending and other issues. He would admit in 2020 to 11 rules violations and agreed to a reprimand and a $50,000 penalty. He barely scraped by in the 2022 election.

Laura Gersony, a Republic national political reporter, today brings you up-to-the-minute with an in-depth look at Schweikert and the even tougher odds he's facing in November — and why the stakes are so high.

Is 2024 Schweikert's last hurrah? Will he meet the same fate as Mitchell in 2010, or will he abide as the ultimate political survivor? Keep reading The Arizona Republic and stay tuned for a wild ride.

Uneasy times: Vulnerable Rep. David Schweikert walking a political tightrope between MAGA and moderates

Dan Nowicki is The Arizona Republic's national politics editor. Follow him on X, the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter: @dannowicki.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: David Schweikert's last hurrah? An in-depth look at his reelection bid