Former Arizona state Rep. Amish Shah has won the Democratic primary for a fiercely contested swing district in Arizona, delivering another blow to national Democrats who put support and money behind former broadcast journalist Marlene Galán-Woods.
“I have always prided myself on being a hardworking, grassroots candidate,’’ Shah, an emergency room physician, said on social media Wednesday night, shortly after The Associated Press called the race for Arizona’s 1st District. “Our victory in this primary was a grassroots victory where Arizona voters made their voices heard.”
With an estimated 95 percent of the vote counted, Shah had around 39 percent to 34 percent for Galán-Woods, the AP reported. Entrepreneur Jonathan Treble and businessman Rick McCartney trailed with 18 percent and 8.5 percent respectively.
Shah now advances to a November matchup with the Republican primary winner, retired NFL kicker and sports commentator Jay Feely, who has the backing of President Donald Trump.
Feely portrayed the fall contest as a “clear and simple choice” for district voters.
