“I’m proud of the overall record (at the State Capitol) in that I’ve been able to move a lot of legislation with the most number of bills of anyone in my party, the most number of bill votes in committee, the most number of bills passed through the chamber, the most number of bills signed into law.” (Arizona Republic 4/4/23)
“..I paid my way through medical school allowing me to build an independent and fulfilling career as an ER doctor and became a faculty member, educator, researcher, and even worked with the NFL. You see, this story would be unlikely in other places. But I was born in America and the American people cared for me and invested in me.... “(Amishfor arizona.com)
BACKGROUND + EXPERIENCE
Following 20 years as an emergency room physician in Arizona, Dr. Amish Shah served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2019 to 2023. He has a BS in Economics from Northwestern University + a Master’s in Public Health from University of California, Berkeley. He graduated from Northwestern Medical School as part of the Honors Program in Medical Education. Before working as an ER physician, he was at LEK Consulting, an international strategy consulting firm. Shah founded the first Arizona Food Festival to promote healthy eating + eliminate preventable disease.
Shah was born + raised in Chicago. His mother + father were engineering students who immigrated from India in the 1962.
ON THE ISSUES
Amish Shah is a political pragmatist + self-described centrist. His work as a state legislator was defined by his effectiveness in working across the aisle with Republican colleagues.
Shah supports universal health care including reproductive rights. As a legislator, he had a 100% pro-choice voting record. He led the effort to protect access to abortion pills + introduced a bill with NARAL to increase access to contraception. Shah personally collected 1200 signatures for the Abortion Access Ballot initiative in Arizona.
Dr. Shah stated: “I know our kids need our full support + encouragement to reach their potential especially here in Arizona where we have an underfunded + broken system. So, I will strive to ensure every kid gets a real shot like I did. I will demand that teachers get paid well + treated with respect. And I will push for quality, affordable healthcare for everyone so you don’t have to choose between your medicine + your rent.” (amishforarizona.com)
POLITICS IN ARIZONA
AZ 01 is an expansive district stretching from northeast Phoenix to Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Cave Creekland Carefree.
Arizona is a Presidential battleground state. I addition, there is a critical Arizona Senate race between Ruben Gallego (D) + Kari Lake (R) to fill the seat vacated by Sen. Krysten Sinema.
Shah won the Democratic primary on July 30th in a hard-fought campaign among several challengers. His campaign emphasized his pragmatist approach to problem-solving as a state legislator.
AZ 01 is now held by David Schweikert who is completing his 7th term in Congress. He narrowly defeated Jevin Hodge (D) by 3195 votes in 2022 + will be Shah’s opponent in November.
Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 Presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Biden/Harris would have defeated Trump/Pence by 50.1% to 48.6%. AZ 01 was one of 18 so called House “Biden Districts” captured by Republicans in 2022.
This race could be extremely competitive + it represents a great opportunity for a “red to blue” pick-up increasing chances for Democrats to win back the House in November.
COMMITTEES (As Arizona State Legislator)
Regulatory Affairs
Appropriations
Health and Human Services