Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Former state Rep. Amish Shah won the crowded Democratic primary for Arizona\u2019s 1st District on Wednesday, defeating an establishment pick and other well-funded candidates for the battleground seat.<\/p>\n
The district, which President Donald Trump carried by just three points in 2024, is one of Democrats\u2019 top pickup opportunities this cycle \u2014 and the tight primary evolved into a test of party leaders, after the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee backed former broadcast journalist Marlene Gal\u00e1n-Woods.<\/p>\n
In the end, voters rejected Gal\u00e1n-Woods, the latest example of an establishment-backed candidate losing as Democrats continue to show frustration with leaders in Washington.<\/p>\n
This year marks the second consecutive time Shah won the district\u2019s Democratic primary: He won it in 2024, before losing to Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) by four points in the general election.<\/p>\n
The seat became open when Schweikert, an eight-term Republican lawmaker, decided to take on another member of the Arizona House delegation, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), in the GOP primary for governor<\/a>.<\/p>\n Shah will take on Jay Feely in the general election. The Trump-endorsed former NFL kicker who spent four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals bested former state Rep. Joseph Chaplik in the Republican primary on Tuesday.<\/p>\n The 1st District surrounds Phoenix in central Arizona, and encompasses wealthy Scottsdale and Paradise Valley as well as large swaths of land to the northeast of the city.<\/p>\n