Dr. Amish Shah Wins AZ Primary, Dems Eye Flipping Seat

India-West News Desk

PHOENIX, AZ – Former state legislator Amish Shah has emerged victorious in a crowded primary to represent Arizona’s First Congressional District. Shah, a 47-year-old Indian American physician secured the Democratic primary, setting the stage for a November showdown with seven-term incumbent Republican David Schweikert.

The congressional seat is seen as being possible to be flipped by Democrats: Schweikert, who easily defeated his primary opponents Kim George and Robert Backie, had only narrowly won re-election in 2022 by 3,200 votes.

The Indian American Impact Fund congratulating Shah, pointed out, “Amish’s district, AZ-01, will be one of the highest-profile races in the country and a must-flip for Democrats to take back the House. Republicans have already started launching attacks his way, and we need to counter them with a strong response.”

The National Republican Congressional Committee labeled Shah as “an extreme liberal” and criticized his stances on taxes, healthcare, and border security, predicting that Arizonans would reject his policies.

The Associated Press called the race for Shah on August 1 evening after he garnered almost 24% of the votes, edging out his closest competitor, Andrei Cherny, by about three percentage points. Cherny, a former assistant Arizona attorney general and past chairman of the Arizona Democratic Party, who had notable endorsements from former President Bill Clinton and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego.

Marlene Galán-Woods, a former broadcast journalist and widow of former Attorney General Grant Woods, closely followed Cherny in the race. She too had the support of prominent Democrats, including Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes and former Governor Janet Napolitano.

Born and raised in Chicago, Shah has spent 20 years as an emergency department physician. His parents immigrated from India in the 1960s, with his father being a Jain and his mother a Hindu. Shah has spoken about his challenging childhood and experiences with bullying, which shaped his commitment to public service.

“Growing up in Chicago, I had a pretty rough childhood. I was bullied, and there were times I would go to my room and pray that God would just take my life, because there seemed to be no safe place for me,” he has said.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a medical degree from Northwestern University, completed a Master’s in Public Health from UC Berkeley, and underwent residency training in Emergency Medicine at New York City’s busiest Level I trauma center. Shah has also served as a faculty member at Mount Sinai Medical Center and completed a Sports Medicine fellowship at the University of Arizona. He is board certified in both Emergency Medicine and Sports Medicine and continues to practice throughout Arizona.

In addition to his medical career, Shah founded the Arizona Vegetarian Food Festival to promote healthy eating.