Incumbent Republican J. D. Hayworth, who had represented the district since 1994, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 60.1% of the vote in 2002.
Incumbent Republican Jim Kolbe, who had represented the district since 1984, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 63.3% of the vote in 2002.
Republican primaryedit
Kolbe faced a serious primary challenge for the first time since winning the seat in 1984 from state representativeRandy Graf. Graf ran well to Kolbe's right, with a message to "get tough" on illegal immigration, a "hot button" issue, especially for residents living along Arizona's border with Mexico, which has become a major crossing point for smuggling. He also aligned himself with U.S. Representatives Tom Tancredo of Colorado and Steve King of Iowa, who proposed enhanced border security. Graf was also a senior advisor for Proposition 200, an initiative passed by Arizona voters in 2004 to prevent welfare and voter fraud. He was also anti-abortion, against same-sex marriage, in favor of continued U.S. support for Israel, and in favor of tort reforms and medical care choice as a way of lowering health insurance rates.
^"Results" (PDF). clerk.house.gov. 2004. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
^"Results" (PDF). www.fec.gov. 2004. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstu"State of Arizona official canvass" (PDF). Arizona Secretary of State. September 7, 2004. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
^ abcd"ARIZONA: Babbitt, Heir to Famous Name, Considers Run". rollcall.com/. Roll Call. October 10, 2003. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
^ abcChris Cillizza (November 12, 2003). "ARIZONA: Governor to Headline Event for Paul Babbitt". rollcall.com/. Roll Call. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
^"Babbitt makes run for Congress in 1st District". pinalcentral.com. The Coolidge Examiner. February 25, 2004. Archived from the original on November 24, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
^Mike Sunnucks (July 12, 2004). "Renzi-Babbitt race draws money from all sides". bizjournals.com. The Business Journal. Archived from the original on July 18, 2004. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
^"2004 Competitive House Race Chart" (PDF). House: Race Ratings. Cook Political Report. October 29, 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 10, 2006. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
^"2004 House". Sabato's Crystal Ball. November 3, 2004. Archived from the original on November 11, 2004. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
^"Incumbent Renzi set to beat Babbitt". cnn.com/. CNN. November 3, 2004. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
^Sharon Dunham (March 24, 2004). "Rick Murphy running for Congress". Parker Pioneer. p. 13. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
^Mike Sunnucks; Dale Brown (September 7, 2004). "GOP incumbents fare well in Arizona primary election". bizjournals.com/. The Business Journal. Archived from the original on November 26, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2023.