Amish Shah wins Democratic congressional primary in Arizona, a blow to the party establishment

By — Jonathan J. Cooper, Associated Press Jonathan J. Cooper, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/amish-shah-wins-democratic-congressional-primary-in-arizona-a-blow-to-the-party-establishment Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Amish Shah wins Democratic congressional primary in Arizona, a blow to the party establishment Politics Jul 23, 2026 2:20 PM EDT PHOENIX (AP) — Amish Shah won the Democratic primary Wednesday in a hotly contested congressional district in Arizona, delivering another defeat to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which backed a rival, as more voters reject the preferences of party leaders in Washington. LIVE RESULTS: Arizona midterm primary elections Shah, an emergency physician, will face Republican Jay Feely, a former NFL kicker who was endorsed by President Donald Trump in his primary, in the fall. Before becoming political opponents, Feely and Shah were part of the same team — the New York Jets. Shah was a doctor on the sidelines, while Feely was the kicker. The DCCC backed Marlene Galán-Woods, a former Republican who switched parties at the beginning of Trump's first term. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. The competition for the 1st Congressional District, an affluent area that includes northeast Phoenix, Scottsdale, Fountain Hills and Paradise Valley, is expected to help determine control of the U.S. House. Although Republicans hold a voter registration advantage, the district has shifted toward the center over the last decade. The seat is open because Republican Rep. David Schweikert ran for governor, losing to Rep. Andy Biggs in the GOP primary on Tuesday. READ MORE: Arizona Republicans pick nominees Tuesday for governor and other top offices The DCCC's decision to endorse Galán-Woods, a former television journalist in Phoenix, puzzled local Democrats because there was little ideological difference between her and Shah. Both are moderates, and the race was not a proxy fight in the party's deepening feud between progressives and centrists. "Our victory in this primary was a grassroots victory where Arizona voters made their voices heard," Shah said Wednesday night in a statement that did not address the DCCC snub. "Now, it's my job to earn the support of every voter in this district." Rep. Suzan DelBene, the DCCC Chair, issued a statement calling Feely an "extremist" and saying Shah "will always put his community first," but did not address the controversy surrounding the support for Galán-Woods. The National Republican Congressional Committee quickly released a digital ad Wednesday attacking Shah, labeling him a socialist and tying him to progressives in Congress. "I'm a political outsider committed to delivering results," Feely said in a statement. The race was in some ways a replay of 2024, when Shah narrowly won in a cr