Amish Shah, an emergency physician, won Arizona's 1st congressional district Democratic primary on Wednesday, handing the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee another setback as voters continue to reject Washington party endorsements.
Shah will face Republican Jay Feely, a former NFL kicker backed by Donald Trump, in what shapes up as a marquee general election battle for control of the House. The district, which spans affluent Phoenix suburbs including Scottsdale and Paradise Valley, has tilted toward Democrats over the past decade despite a Republican voter registration edge. Trump won it narrowly in 2024, but Joe Biden carried it in 2020.
The DCCC had thrown its weight behind Marlene Galán-Woods, a former Republican television journalist who switched parties early in Trump's first term. The establishment's choice puzzled local Democrats, since both candidates are moderates with similar policy positions. The endorsement was never about ideology.
"Our victory in this primary was a grassroots victory where Arizona voters made their voices heard," Shah said Wednesday, notably avoiding any direct criticism of the DCCC snub. "Now, it's my job to earn the support of every voter in this district."
Suzan DelBene, the DCCC chair, called Feely an "extremist" and praised Shah's community focus but said nothing about why the party had backed Galán-Woods in the first place. The National Republican Congressional Committee immediately launched digital ads labeling Shah a socialist and tying him to progressive members of Congress.
Shah's victory continues a pattern of anti-establishment energy rippling through Democratic primaries. Last month, progressive Randy Villegas defeated a DCCC-backed candidate in California's Central Valley. In Maine, Matt Dunlap beat a more moderate party-endorsed rival. Establishment backing, which historically brings crucial money and staffing support, has become a liability with voters hungry for outsider candidates.
This is Shah's second attempt at the seat. In 2024, he narrowly won a crowded primary but lost the general election. That year the DCCC stayed neutral in the primary before backing him in the fall. The party's early endorsement of Galán-Woods this cycle appears to have backfired.
"I wasn't exactly my party's pick," Shah told supporters Tuesday night. "And I was willing to stand up to that establishment. And that's what the voters of this district want."
Still, Shah has indicated he would work with the DCCC if needed. Winning in November will likely demand the party's resources and donor networks, despite the primary tension. The district delivered Trump a narrow victory in 2024 while also supporting Biden in 2020, making it genuinely competitive.
Feely's path to the Republican nomination was cleaner. The former NFL broadcaster, who kicked for seven teams over 14 seasons including the Arizona Cardinals, defeated Joseph Chaplik, a state lawmaker popular with grassroots conservatives. Trump's endorsement proved decisive in the GOP primary.
There's an unusual wrinkle to the general election matchup. Feely and Shah actually know each other. During the 2008 and 2009 NFL seasons, both were with the New York Jets. Feely was the kicker while Shah, then early in his medical career, worked home games as an airway management physician, a critical position responsible for intubating and resuscitating catastrophically injured players.
"It's an old relationship," Feely said Tuesday night. "But whoever it is, I want to do this the right way. I want to run this the right way."
Maria Liong, a 24-year-old medical student who volunteered for Shah's campaign, summed up the frustration many felt with the party establishment. "The Democratic party needs to grow up and wake up," she said. "They need to realize that they want candidates who listen to their people."
Author James Rodriguez: "Shah proved voters in competitive districts will punish Washington's top-down meddling, but he'll discover that defying the DCCC in a primary is very different from winning without them in November."
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