Amish Shah wins Arizona Democratic primary for key US House seat
Emergency physician Amish Shah defeated the Democratic Party’s preferred candidate in Arizona’s competitive 1st Congressional District and will face Republican Jay Feely in November.
Amish Shah won the Democratic primary for Arizona’s 1st Congressional District on Wednesday, July 22, setting up a November contest with Republican nominee Jay Feely in a race expected to help shape control of the US House of Representatives.
Shah, an emergency physician and former Arizona state lawmaker, defeated Marlene Galán-Woods, a former television journalist who had received backing from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. In a statement after the result, Shah described the outcome as a grassroots victory and said he would seek the support of voters across the district.
Feely, a former NFL kicker and broadcaster endorsed by US President Donald Trump during the Republican primary, defeated former state lawmaker Joseph Chaplik. The two nominees previously crossed paths with the New York Jets: Feely played for the team while Shah worked at home games as an airway-management physician.
The district covers parts of northeastern Phoenix and several surrounding communities, including Scottsdale, Fountain Hills and Paradise Valley. Republicans retain an advantage in voter registration, but the area has become more competitive over the past decade. Donald Trump narrowly carried it in 2024, while Joe Biden won it in the 2020 presidential election.
The seat is open after Republican Representative David Schweikert chose to run for governor. Shah previously won the Democratic nomination for the district in 2024 but lost the general election. His latest primary victory adds to a series of recent contests in which candidates not favored by national Democratic campaign officials have prevailed in competitive districts.
