Former state lawmaker Amish Shah secured the Democratic nomination for Arizona’s competitive 1st Congressional District on Tuesday, overcoming a challenge from a candidate backed by the party establishment. Shah now advances to a high-stakes general election against Republican Jay Feely, a former NFL player, in a race expected to influence the balance of power in the U.S. House.
Primary Results Reshape Arizona Congressional Contests
The outcome in the 1st Congressional District was one of several key developments as Arizona voters finalized their party nominees during Tuesday’s primary elections. Amish Shah’s victory serves as a notable shift from the preferences of the Democratic establishment, which had supported a different candidate in the district. Shah’s path forward now leads to a general election contest against Republican nominee Jay Feely.
Feely, a former NFL kicker who played for seven teams over a career of some 13 years, transitioned into television broadcasting, reporting on NFL and college games until 2025, before entering politics. His campaign, which focuses on what his website calls faith, freedom and the fight to take back our country,
successfully secured the endorsement of Donald Trump. Feely’s background as a professional athlete is a point of interest for political observers, as he aims to join a select list of former NFL players who made the transition to Congress. Currently, Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Utah), a former safety who won a Super Bowl with the Oakland Raiders in 1981, is serving. Additionally, former congressman Colin Allred (D-Texas), once a linebacker for the Tennessee Titans, is seeking a comeback this fall after giving up his seat to run for Senate in 2024.
Gubernatorial Nominations and Election Denialism
While the congressional race remains a focal point, the Republican primary for governor solidified a clear ideological direction for the party. Rep. Andy Biggs defeated Rep. David Schweikert to earn the GOP nomination. Biggs, who served as chairman of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus from 2019 to 2022, has maintained a profile as a prominent Trump supporter and MAGA activist. Biggs beat Schweikert for the chance to run this fall against Democratic incumbent Gov. Katie Hobbs, who was unopposed in her primary. This result sets up a general election contrast against Hobbs, who promotes herself as a bipartisan politician and has said in interviews that she expects a close contest.
The Republican ticket in Arizona is now marked by candidates who have questioned the integrity of the 2020 presidential election. Alongside Biggs, voters selected state Senate President Warren Petersen for attorney general and state Rep. Alexander Kolodin for secretary of state. These nominations highlight the enduring influence of election-related skepticism within the state’s GOP base. Petersen has long made unfounded claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election and, earlier this year, gave the FBI files from a 2021 state Senate investigation into claims of election irregularities in Maricopa County as part of Trump’s ongoing effort to question the results. That county investigation had confirmed that Democrat Joe Biden was the victor.
For more on this story, see Andy Biggs Wins Arizona Republican Nomination to Face Governor Katie Hobbs.
Kolodin is a lawyer who was sanctioned by the State Bar of Arizona and placed on probation for his role in filing the “kraken” lawsuit in 2020 that sought to prevent the state’s presidential electors from casting their ballots for the victor, Biden. The suit made false claims about election irregularities and was thrown out by a federal judge. Kolodin has continued seeking to restrict voting in his role as a state lawmaker, introducing legislation to limit early voting. He defeated Gina Swoboda, former head of the state Republican Party, for the nomination and will challenge incumbent Democrat Adrian Fontes this fall. As secretary of state, Kolodin would be in charge of running Arizona’s elections, with the swing state poised to play a significant role in the 2028 presidential contest.
Stakes for the November General Election
The legislative and executive races in Arizona are set to test the political leanings of the swing state as the 2028 presidential cycle approaches. For the gubernatorial race, the contrast between Biggs and Hobbs is sharp. Biggs was among Republicans in the House who voted against certifying the 2020 election. Biggs faces a challenge in appealing to a broader electorate given his history of questioning the 2020 election results and his staunch opposition to abortion, a topic that remains politically potent in the state. Arizona voters passed a constitutional amendment in 2024 that made abortion legal until the point of fetal viability, but many Republicans who control the state legislature continue to favor restrictions. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report, the election analysis site, rates the state as leaning Democratic.
Election officials and party analysts are monitoring these races as they could serve as a bellwether for the national political climate. With the Cook Political Report currently rating Arizona as leaning Democratic, the upcoming contests will likely hinge on turnout and the ability of candidates to move beyond their primary bases. While the Republican base showed strong support for candidates aligned with the party’s right wing, the general election will require a broader coalition to secure victory in a state that has proven to be highly competitive in recent election cycles.