LDS Women Sour on Arizona Republican Mark Lamb

Latter-day Saint women in Arizona’s 5th Congressional District are turning away from Republican nominee Mark Lamb, a former Pinal County sheriff whose campaign has been dogged by allegations of sexual misconduct and racially charged remarks — an erosion of support in a key Republican voting bloc that could make a safely red House seat more competitive than expected.

The findings, reported by NPR, come as Lamb faces Democrat Elizabeth “Nurse Lee” Lee, an infertility nurse and political newcomer, in the November general election for a district rated “Solidly Republican” by the Cook Political Report.

A Conservative Stronghold, and a Restive Electorate

Arizona’s 5th District covers the eastern Phoenix suburbs of Maricopa County and Pinal County. It is predominantly Republican — President Trump won it by roughly 20 points in the last presidential election — mostly white, and fairly religious, with a sizable LDS population. Two of Arizona’s six LDS temples sit within its boundaries.

The seat opened when Rep. Andy Biggs (R) opted to run for governor rather than seek re-election. Lamb is endorsed by Trump and has a national profile built on YouTube videos and a “COPS”-style television show that cultivated an “America’s sheriff” persona.

But for some voters who share Lamb’s faith, the allegations strike at the heart of the values he campaigns on. Kimberly Tait of Gilbert, a lifelong Republican who switched to independent in 2016, told NPR that the dishonesty described in reporting on Lamb’s private and public life runs “completely contrary to our faith.”

“Yes, Mark Lamb is a member of my faith,” Tait said. “But from what I understand about Mark Lamb, the dishonesty that has been displayed in his public and private life is completely contrary to our faith.”

She added: “The idea of having yet another elected official who is accused of sexual misconduct towards women … that does not speak well to me, to my children. Like, what is that teaching our children?”

The Allegations at the Center of the Race

The controversy stems from a multipart investigation by the Arizona Republic that began in May 2026, alleging Lamb engaged in extramarital sexting and other conduct outside his marriage. According to KJZZ News, a former friend told the Republic that Lamb sent him nude photos of his wife, after which the friend said he had multiple sexual encounters with her.

KJZZ also reported that an investigation by Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller concluded Lamb did not violate any laws regarding accusations that he used his position to stop women from speaking publicly. That review did not address the broader allegations in the Republic’s reporting, and KJZZ noted it found Lamb appeared to benefit from “a different standard of review.”

Lamb has denied the allegations. At a June event, he told supporters he had been “called a racist” and “called a misogynist,” adding: “I’m going to tell you folks, these are lies. Every single bit of it.” His attorneys have called the claims baseless but, according to the Republic, did not rebut the specific allegations. His wife, Janel, took to Facebook to describe the couple as the target of a smear campaign.

Lamb canceled a planned interview with KJZZ after the Republic’s first article. His campaign manager attributed the cancellation to a longer-than-expected flight and promised to reschedule; he did not respond to subsequent requests. Lamb also skipped a June debate, leaving primary rival Daniel Keenan to appear alone.

A Pattern for a Historically Reliable Bloc

Historically, Latter-day Saints vote Republican, though an analysis by YouGov indicates they have grown “a little less red” over the past two decades. In neighboring Utah, where the church is predominant, Trump has faced some of his sharpest red-state opposition — a dynamic that, in a purple state like Arizona, makes LDS voters look increasingly independent.

Holly Anderson, an LDS independent voter, told NPR she votes according to her values and believes leaders should have character. Citing 2 Corinthians 13:1 — “In the mouth of two or three witnesses, shall every word be established” — she noted that multiple women have come forward with accounts of Lamb’s conduct.

Suzanne Lunt, another independent LDS voter and a former co-chair of “Republicans for Biden” in 2024, said Lamb “comes across as so untrustworthy on a lot of different levels.” She added that she no longer sees MAGA hats in her community and believes most people “don’t want to be associated with that craziness and the extremism.”

That sentiment reflects a broader question about voter turnout in a district where the winner of the GOP primary is normally all but assured of a general-election victory.

A Democrat’s Uphill Path

Elizabeth Lee is betting that dissatisfaction can translate into votes. Branding herself “Nurse Lee,” she argues her health-care background has prepared her to assess problems and marshal resources.

“The GOP has nominated an extremely flawed candidate with the kind of alleged flaws that people nationally are fed up with, that people in this district are most certainly fed up with,” Lee told NPR.

An internal Change Research poll shared with NPR showed Lee trailing Lamb by three to five points — a closer margin than the district’s partisan lean would suggest. Lee said her campaign has spent a year making tens of thousands of phone calls and knocking on doors, and argued that independents “are not for extremist politics,” putting the race “actually within the margin of error.”

Kim Fridkin, a political science professor at Arizona State University, told NPR that while flipping the seat remains difficult, several factors favor Democrats: high gas prices, steep housing costs, and Arizona’s water crisis. “All of these things are really hitting people where they live,” she said. “That’s when these types of low interest voters might be motivated to turn out, especially if someone is knocking on the door and telling them why they should.”

Trump’s own standing in Arizona could also play a role. One recent poll found only 39% of Arizona voters approved of the president’s job performance — the lowest rating ever recorded in the swing state. Independents, meanwhile, are an influential bloc: about 195,000 are registered in the district, the second-most of any district in Arizona.

The Tennessee Ranch

The race has also raised questions about residency. The Lamb family opened a ranch on 140 acres in rural McNairy County, Tennessee — roughly 1,500 miles from the district — with rentable cabins and event space. According to Arizona Luminaria, Lamb’s prior business history includes a Utah paintball company that went bankrupt in 2003, an undisclosed bankruptcy on state incorporation forms for his American Sheriff Foundation nonprofit, and the IRS’s 2021 revocation of that foundation’s tax-exempt status.

The Constitution does not require members of Congress to live in the district they represent, but they must reside in the state. Lamb says he still lives in Arizona and will only visit the ranch. In a video on the family’s YouTube channel, he described the venture as a way to supplement income he expects to lose by ending his consulting business: “Owning your own food source, your cattle, growing gardens, chickens, eggs. Honestly that’s the American way.”

KJZZ reported that McNairy County property records show the Lambs purchased the land for $3 million through an entity called American Sheriff LLC, with a $2 million loan from a lender owned by Queen Creek residents who hosted a fundraiser for Lamb and other Republicans in January.

What to Watch

Lamb won the Republican primary in late July and entered the fall as the heavy favorite in a district that has long been out of reach for Democrats. Trump and outside groups including Turning Point USA have not withdrawn their endorsements.

The unanswered question is whether LDS voters — and the district’s independents — will quietly withhold their support or stay home altogether. Dennis Poulin, a Republican voter who told KJZZ he read the allegations, offered a succinct summary of that calculus: “Behavior never lies, so if what you say and what you do is in conflict, well then, that’s a problem.”

With the seat rated Solidly Republican, Lamb remains the odds-on favorite. But in a midterm year, the erosion of a once-reliable bloc can turn a comfortable win into a nail-biter — and Arizona’s LDS women may be the voters who decide by how much.