Shah leads Arizona House primary despite party brass backing rival
Amish Shah held a 7-point edge in a pivotal Arizona Democratic primary with 84% of the expected vote counted, according to NBC News.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
3 min read
Amish Shah, an emergency room doctor and former Arizona state lawmaker, is ahead in the Democratic primary for Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, NBC News reported, despite party leaders throwing their weight behind former journalist Marlene Galán-Woods.
NBC News had not projected a winner in the race, but Shah held a 7-point lead with 84% of the expected vote counted. The result, if it holds, would be a sharp rebuke to Democratic power players in Arizona and Washington, D.C., who backed Galán-Woods in one of the country’s key House battlegrounds.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also stepped into the contest for Galán-Woods, an uncommon move for the House Democratic campaign arm, which NBC News noted has spent directly in only a small number of competitive Democratic primaries in recent cycles.
Shah was the Democratic nominee in the district in 2024 and narrowly lost to Republican Rep. David Schweikert. Schweikert ran for governor this year but lost the Republican primary Tuesday night.
A bruising Democratic fight
The Maricopa County-based district drew millions of dollars in outside spending in the final stretch, according to NBC News. Ads targeted Shah over his record in the state Legislature and accused him of siding with conservatives on divisive social issues.
Galán-Woods’ campaign and DCCC-backed ads highlighted her endorsement from Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, NBC News reported.
Shah pushed back in his own advertising, saying “dark money groups” were attacking him and trying to mislead voters with “deliberate disinformation” about his legislative record. He also criticized national Democrats for taking sides, calling them a “broken cabal” in an interview with The New York Times.
His campaign centered on his time in the Legislature, arguing that he challenged Republicans and the Trump administration in Arizona and would do the same in Congress. He also leaned on his medical background, focusing on health care and abortion access.
If Shah wins the nomination, NBC News reported it would mark the third time this cycle that a DCCC-backed candidate has lost a primary, following races in battleground districts in Maine and California.
Trump-backed Republican awaits
The Democratic nominee will face Republican Jay Feely, the former professional football kicker who won the GOP primary Tuesday with help from President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Trump carried the district by 3 points in 2024.
At an election night event, Feely called the seat one of a handful that could decide control of the House. “You know how close the House is, and there’s three to five seats in the country that will determine who holds the House and who controls the House in November,” he said. “This is one of those seats.”
Feely first launched a campaign in Arizona’s 5th District, a safely Republican seat opened by Rep. Andy Biggs’ run for governor, before switching to the 1st District. NBC News reported that he has emphasized Trump’s support while trying to link Democrats to the party’s left wing and blaming them for inflation and rising housing costs.
Elsewhere in Arizona, NBC News reported little drama in the 6th District, where Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani will face Democrat JoAnna Mendoza, a Marine veteran and former congressional and political aide.
In the 2nd District, Democrats nominated former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez for a rematch against Republican Rep. Eli Crane. Crane beat Nez by 9 points two years ago in the district, which Trump won by 15 points in 2024.
In the 5th District, former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, also endorsed by Trump, won the Republican primary for Biggs’ open seat. Lamb is favored in the suburban Phoenix district, which Trump won by 20 points in 2024, NBC News reported.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.