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By Ronald J. Hansen | Arizona Republic
Phoenix insurance executive Elijah Norton is considering a run for Congress as a Republican challenge to Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz.
A Phoenix insurance executive filed papers Tuesday signaling he is weighing a challenge to Rep. David Schweikert for the Republican nomination in a historically conservative district.
Elijah Norton, 31, could be the first conservative to run against Schweikert since he was pulled into a congressional ethics investigation that began in 2017. After creating an exploratory committee with the Federal Election Commission, Norton made plain he hopes to make Schweikert’s ethics violations a top issue.
“I am interested in bringing strong, ethical leadership to the valley. We need more business leaders in public office and less career politicians to solve the difficult problems our country faces,” he said in a statement to The Arizona Republic. “An exploratory committee is an opportunity for me to ‘test the waters’ to evaluate the landscape and determine whether to seek public office.