Amish Shah wins Democratic primary for key Arizona swing seat, defeating DCCC-backed rival

Former Arizona state Rep. Amish Shah, here during a rally in Phoenix in November 2024, is the Democratic nominee for the state's 1st District (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

By Daniela Altimari Posted July 23, 2026 at 7:24am

Former Arizona state Rep. Amish Shah has won the Democratic primary for a fiercely contested swing district in Arizona, delivering another blow to national Democrats who put support and money behind former broadcast journalist Marlene Galán-Woods.

“I have always prided myself on being a hardworking, grassroots candidate,” Shah, an emergency room physician, said on social media Wednesday night, shortly after The Associated Press called the race for Arizona’s 1st District. “Our victory in this primary was a grassroots victory where Arizona voters made their voices heard.”

Primary Results

With an estimated 95 percent of the vote counted, the AP reported:

• Amish Shah — approximately 39%
• Marlene Galán-Woods — 34%
• Jonathan Treble (entrepreneur) — 18%
• Rick McCartney (businessman) — 8.5%

General Election Matchup

Shah now advances to a November matchup with the Republican primary winner, retired NFL kicker and sports commentator Jay Feely, who has the backing of President Donald Trump.

Feely portrayed the fall contest as a “clear and simple choice” for district voters.

“I’m a political outsider committed to delivering results,” he said in a statement. “Amish Shah is focused on partisan politics.”

District Context

The contest for the battleground 1st District — a wealthy suburban area northeast of Phoenix — could help determine which party controls the House. The Republican incumbent, eighth-term Rep. David Schweikert, opted against reelection to run for governor. He lost Tuesday’s gubernatorial primary to fellow Republican Rep. Andy Biggs.

Shah boasted the support of current and former state legislators, including former state House Speaker Rusty Bowers, a Republican who resisted pressure from Trump and his allies in 2020 to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in Arizona.

Repeat Candidates

Both Galán-Woods and Shah were repeat candidates. Galán-Woods finished third in the 2024 Democratic primary won by Shah, who went on to lose to Schweikert by 4 points.

This time, Galán-Woods had the backing of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), which also spent heavily on her behalf. That decision by the House Democrats’ campaign arm to pick sides in the primary drew criticism from Shah and other Arizona Democrats, including Rep. Adelita Grijalva. Galán-Woods, a former Republican, also had endorsements from:

• Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly
• The campaign arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
• EMILY’s List

Reaction and Broader Implications

Galán-Woods congratulated Shah on his victory, saying in a statement, “I look forward to working with him and fighting tirelessly to flip this seat in November.”

Her loss marks the third defeat of a DCCC-endorsed candidate this year. Two of the committee’s other picks — California State Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains and Maine state Sen. Joe Baldacci — also lost primaries for battleground seats.

Unlike those contests, the primary in Arizona’s 1st District did not break along ideological lines. Both Galán-Woods, who pitched herself to voters as a center-left Democrat who could win over independents and traditional Republicans, and Shah competed on similar political terrain.