Democrat Amish Shah, a physician and former state lawmaker, has opened a lead in the primary for a key Arizona battleground district despite party leaders backing another candidate for the seat.Subscribe to read this story ad-freeGet unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.NBC News has not yet projected a winner in the 1st District Democratic primary, but Shah’s 7-point edge with 84% of the expected vote counted comes despite an onslaught of late ads attacking Shah and boosting his opponent, Democrat Marlene Galán-Woods, a former journalist backed by Democratic leaders in Arizona and Washington, D.C.
That includes the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which waded in for Galán-Woods.Shah was the Democratic nominee in 2024 and narrowly lost that year to GOP Rep.David Schweikert, who ran for governor but lost the Republican primary Tuesday night.This year, the 1st District Democratic nominee will face off against Republican Jay Feely, the former professional football kicker who won his primary in the district Tuesday thanks in part to the blessing of President Donald Trump.
Trump carried the district by 3 points in 2024.“This seat is such an important seat,” Feely said at an election night event.“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.
This is one of those seats.”Shah’s 2026 campaign leaned heavily on his legislative record, arguing he pushed back against Republicans and the Trump administration in Arizona and would do so again in Washington.He also emphasized his work as an emergency room doctor, campaigning on healthcare issues and abortion access.
Millions of dollars in outside money flooded into the Democratic primary for the Maricopa County-based seat in the final weeks, funding ads attacking Shah over his voting record in the state Legislature and saying he has aligned with conservatives on hot-b...