Democratic leaders’ pick trails in Arizona primary for a key battleground district

Democrat Amish Shah, a physician and former state lawmaker, has opened a lead in the primary for a key Arizona battleground district despite party leaders backing another candidate.

Democrat Amish Shah, a physician and former state lawmaker, has opened a lead in the primary for a key Arizona battleground district despite party leaders backing another candidate.

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NBC News has not yet projected a winner in the 1st District Democratic primary, but Shah’s 7-point edge with 84% of the expected vote counted comes despite an onslaught of late ads attacking him and boosting his opponent, Democrat Marlene Galán-Woods, a former journalist backed by Democratic leaders in Arizona and Washington, D.C. That includes the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which waded in for Galán-Woods.

Shah was the Democratic nominee in 2024 and narrowly lost that year to GOP Rep. David Schweikert, who ran for governor but lost the Republican primary Tuesday night.