Indian-American Doctor Amish Shah Wins Democratic Primary in Arizona

Amish Shah, an Indian-American emergency medicine doctor and moderate Democrat, has won the Democratic primary for Arizona's 1st Congressional District. He defeated Marlene Galan-Woods, a former broadcast journalist who was backed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, in a closely contested race.

Shah, who has served three terms in the Arizona House of Representatives, will now face Republican candidate Jay Feely in the November general election. Feely, a former NFL kicker, is backed by former President Donald Trump. Notably, Shah previously served as the team physician for the New York Jets when Feely was the kicker for the same team.

Shah's campaign was marked by a door-to-door approach, reaching out to nearly 28,000 homes. He emphasised grassroots support, saying, 'Our victory in this primary was a grassroots victory where Arizona voters made their voices heard. Now, it’s my job to earn the support of every voter in this district – including Democrats who voted for another candidate, Independents frustrated with our political system, and Republicans disappointed with the state of the country.'

Born in Chicago to Gujarati parents who immigrated to the United States in the 1960s, Shah earned his undergraduate and medical degrees from Northwestern University. He also holds a Master's in Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley, and completed his residency in emergency medicine at a Level-1 trauma centre in New York City. His father is Jain, and his mother is Hindu.

Shah's loss of Galan-Woods marks the third time this year that a candidate backed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has lost a contested House primary, following defeats of Jasmeet Bains in California and Joe Baldacci in Maine.

This is the second consecutive election cycle in which Shah has won the Democratic primary. He previously won the primary in 2024 but lost the general election to Republican David Schweikert by four points. Schweikert, an eight-term lawmaker, did not seek re-election; instead, he ran for governor but lost the Republican primary to Andy Biggs, who was backed by Trump.

Outside politics, Shah is a physician and founded the first Arizona Vegetarian Food Festival to promote healthy eating. He also supports Sounds Academy and the Humane Society of the United States, among other charities. He enjoys basketball, flying small aeroplanes, and adventurous travel. He speaks conversational Spanish and fluent Gujarati, and has three adopted cats.