Amish Shah wins Arizona House primary, sets up clash with Trump-backed Jay Feely

Washington,UPDATED: Jul 23, 2026 10:02 IST

Indian-American emergency medicine doctor Amish Shah, a moderate Democrat, has won the House primary for Arizona's First District, defeating establishment-backed candidate Marlene Galan-Woods in a closely fought contest. He will now face Republican candidate Jay Feely, an NFL kicker backed by US President Donald Trump, in the November election to the US Congress.

Shah, a three-term member of the Arizona House of Representatives, secured the Democratic nomination after a door-to-door campaign in which he said he reached nearly 28,000 homes. Galan-Woods had been backed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, making her the third DCCC-backed candidate to lose a contested House primary this year after Jasmeet Bains in California and Joe Baldacci in Maine.

Shah and Feely now contesting the seat from opposite ends of the political spectrum have a shared history. Shah was the NFL physician who provided emergency care to the New York Jets, the team for which Feely was the kicker.

Born in Chicago to Gujarati parents who immigrated to the US in the 1960s, Shah earned his undergraduate degree at Northwestern University and his medical degree at Northwestern University Medical School through the Honours Programme in Medical Education. His father is Jain and his mother is Hindu. He later received a full merit scholarship to pursue a Master's in Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley, followed by residency training in Emergency Medicine at New York City's busiest Level-1 trauma centre.

After winning the primary, Shah said, "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."

This is the second straight time that Shah has won the district's Democratic primary. He had won the Democratic primary in 2024 before losing the general election to Republican David Schweikert by four points. Schweikert, an eight-term lawmaker, later contested the Republican primary for the state's gubernatorial election and lost to Andy Biggs, the Trump-backed nominee for Arizona Governor.

Outside his medical practice, Shah founded the first Arizona Vegetarian Food Festival as a philanthropic endeavour to promote healthy eating and eliminate preventable disease. He also contributes to Sounds Academy and the Humane Society of the United States, organisations focused on children's exposure to the arts and the promotion of a kind society, apart from several other charities.

According to his campaign website, Shah enjoys playing basketball, flying small aeroplanes and adventurous travel. He speaks conversational Spanish and is fluent in Gujarati. He also has three adopted cats named Hillary, Miss Meowerson and Cousin Oliver. With his primary win now secured, Shah heads into the November contest against Feely after defeating Galan-Woods in a race that also drew attention for its wider significance within the Democratic Party.

With PTI Inputs

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