Trump-Backed Ex-Sheriff Triumphs in House Primary Amid Disturbing Sex Scandal

A former celebrity sheriff, backed by Trump, is projected to seize victory in the Republican primary for Arizona’s 5th Congressional District, despite being embroiled in a scandal involving sexual misconduct and abuse of power that has rocked his campaign.

Mark Lamb, who previously served as sheriff of Pinal County and branded himself as “America’s sheriff,” defeated Daniel Keenan, a self-funding construction company founder. The heavily Republican-leaning nature of Arizona’s 5th makes Lamb the likely candidate for the general election in November.

This victory comes on the heels of explosive reports detailing Lamb’s years-long history of exchanging sexual messages and engaging in affairs with multiple women. Allegations surfaced that he intimidated two individuals who spoke out about these encounters, threatening them with investigations under the state’s “revenge porn” law or warning of “collateral damage.”

Lawyers for Lamb’s campaign dismissed the allegations as “baseless and harmful” but failed to address the specifics of the claims.

One accuser, Jillian Stannard, alleged that Lamb involved her then-husband in a group where sexual photos were exchanged among participants, including Lamb’s wife. Stannard claimed Lamb threatened her for reporting the situation to leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Stannard’s ex-husband, Matt Hilsabeck, confirmed that the reporting accurately reflected his memories of the affair involving Janel Lamb, which Mark Lamb allegedly facilitated and attempted to cover up.

Another woman, Tammy Peacock, who passed away in 2021, publicly stated that she had an affair with Lamb and claimed he threatened her with a revenge porn investigation for discussing it publicly.

The county attorney’s office found that Lamb seemed to benefit from a “different standard of review” regarding sexual misconduct claims against him. His requests to investigate the two women were not documented, raising further questions about his conduct.

Allies from Turning Point, an organization linked to right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, reportedly intervened to halt discussions about allegations against Lamb during a recent Republican district meeting. Additionally, reports surfaced that Lamb made a racist joke in conversation with a border vigilante who had used a racial slur in messages to him.

Last year, Beth Goulden, chair of the Arizona Sex Offender Management Board, alleged workplace sexual discrimination against the Pinal County Attorney and his chief of staff. She claimed that Miller stated Lamb and his wife were “swingers” and that “Mark sends dick pics to women,” according to reports.

Lamb responded to Goulden’s allegations by expressing confusion over how his name became involved in her “notice of claim,” which precedes a lawsuit. The county attorney, Brad Miller, denied the allegations.

Lamb served as sheriff from 2017 until 2024 when he unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate, losing the Republican primary to Kari Lake, who subsequently lost the general election to Sen. Ruben Gallego.

Now residing on a $3 million ranch in Tennessee with his family, Lamb has campaigned for the Arizona congressional seat. Throughout his decade-long political career, he has positioned himself as a proponent of “God, family, and freedom,” aligning with Trump’s Republican ideology. He has pushed election conspiracy theories and taken a hardline stance on immigration enforcement.

Lamb has claimed that immigration and drug trafficking are intertwined “100% of the time,” asserting that some immigrants have “nothing to give.” His ties to the “Constitutional Sheriff” movement have drawn scrutiny from extremism researchers.

In an effort to shape his public persona, Lamb has been dubbed “Sheriff Hollywood” by peers in law enforcement. He has appeared on numerous episodes of “Live PD,” opened Pinal County’s jail to A&E cameras, and launched his own streaming service called “American Sheriff.”