Who's running in Arizona's 1st congressional district
3 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.
Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Affordability and the cost of living, which his campaign puts first.
Border security and immigration enforcement.
Support for President Trump's agenda.
Lower taxes and reduced federal spending.
A hawkish line on Iran, which he defended in a PBS primary debate.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Fourteen-season NFL placekicker, including for the Arizona Cardinals; CBS Sports analyst.
Won the July 21, 2026 Republican primary with just under 50% against former state representative Joseph Chaplik and businessman John Trobough.
Endorsed by President Trump; also by Maricopa County attorney Rachel Mitchell and former racing driver Danica Patrick.
Reported $2,525,520 raised with $794,475 on hand as of the summer filing.
Has not held elected office.
Arguments in favor
President Trump endorsed him and he won an outright near-majority in a three-way primary, out-raising his general election opponent by about $700,000 — and the NRCC has committed to the race, praising what it called a disciplined, unifying primary campaign.
— Donald Trump endorsement; July 2026 primary results; Federal Election Commission filings; National Republican Congressional Committee
He frames his campaign on affordability rather than on culture-war issues, and the NRCC contrasts that with his opponent's platform of tax increases and government health care.
— National Republican Congressional Committee, July 2026
Arguments against
His Republican primary opponent Joseph Chaplik spent the campaign questioning his conservative credentials, saying Feely was "acting like the Democrat he is" and pointing to his support for a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants; conservative outlets raised his past ties to the Clinton family and support for Barack Obama.
— Joseph Chaplik, 2026 Republican primary; conservative outlets including The Gateway Pundit
The Human Rights Campaign PAC, endorsing his opponent, calls him a "MAGA extremist" who would bring "an appalling anti-equality agenda" to the district, and says he supports a health care proposal that would add roughly 31,000 people to the district's uninsured.
— Human Rights Campaign PAC
What we couldn’t verify
The Chaplik criticism came from the Republican primary, where it did not stop Feely winning; the general election attacks come from an organisation endorsing his opponent rather than from neutral analysis.
The 31,000-uninsured figure comes from the Human Rights Campaign PAC's endorsement release; the underlying estimate and its method were not established from the sources found.
He has never held elected office and moved from the 5th district to this one before running.
Lowering costs for households, his campaign's lead theme.
Protecting Medicare and Medicaid, argued from his work as an emergency physician.
Abortion rights.
LGBTQ+ equality, reflected in his Human Rights Campaign endorsement.
Reducing the role of outside money in Democratic primaries.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Emergency physician; member of the Arizona House of Representatives from 2019 to 2024.
Democratic nominee for this district in 2024.
Won the July 2026 Democratic primary against Marlene Galán-Woods, whom the DCCC, Senator Mark Kelly and state party leaders had backed.
The DCCC and allied groups spent about $4.5 million against him in the primary; the committee added him to its Red to Blue programme after he won.
Reported $1,830,193 raised with $401,745 on hand as of the summer filing.
Arguments in favor
He beat the party establishment's candidate in his own primary after $4.5 million was spent against him, and the DCCC then added him to its Red to Blue list — he carries the Human Rights Campaign PAC, the League of Conservation Voters, J Street, the Jewish Democratic Council of America, 314 Action and the AAPI Victory Fund.
— July 2026 primary results; DCCC Red to Blue; endorsements from the organisations named
Forecasters have moved the district toward the Democrats since the primary — from tossup to lean or likely Democratic flip on some boards — in a seat the party has not held.
— Decision Desk HQ, Silver Bulletin and other 2026 ratings changes
Arguments against
The NRCC calls him a socialist and says he pushes tax increases and government-run health care, and its post-primary release argued he came out of "a disastrous Democrat primary" damaged.
— National Republican Congressional Committee, July 2026
His own party spent $4.5 million against him: DCCC-funded advertising attacked his record in the state legislature and said he had aligned with conservatives on contested social issues. Shah called the ads "deliberate disinformation" from "dark money groups" and the national party a "broken cabal."
— Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and allied groups, 2026 primary, reported by NBC News
What we couldn’t verify
The DCCC's primary attacks on Shah and its subsequent endorsement of him are hard to reconcile; the committee has not published a reconciliation, and the specific votes its advertising cited were not established from the sources found.
He goes into the autumn with about half his opponent's cash on hand — $401,745 to $794,475 — after an expensive primary.
He and Feely were briefly teammates on the New York Jets, a fact both campaigns have noted.
Libertarian Party positions on limited government and individual liberty.
Opposition to United States military support for Israel, reflected in her only endorsement.
Offering a third choice in a district both major parties are contesting heavily.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Retired business writer.
Won the July 21, 2026 Libertarian primary for this district.
Endorsed by Anti-Zionist America PAC.
Reported $8,941 raised with $634 remaining as of the July 1, 2026 filing.
Has not held elected office.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No published criticism of Alponte by name could be found — not from either major-party campaign, not from a party committee, and not in Arizona news coverage — and no published case for her beyond her party's nomination and one PAC endorsement. Because no case against her exists on the record, none is presented for her either.
No campaign website could be verified; a domain in her name resolves to a parked page.
She reported $8,941 raised against $2.53 million and $1.83 million for the two major-party candidates, and her detailed positions could not be found.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
This is an open seat: Republican David Schweikert, who has held it since 2013, withdrew in September 2025 to run for governor. Arizona held its primaries on July 21, 2026. Three candidates appear on the November ballot: Republican Jay Feely, Democrat Amish Shah and Libertarian Monica Alponte. The district covers the affluent northeastern Phoenix suburbs — Scottsdale, Fountain Hills, Paradise Valley and part of north Phoenix. Forecasters rate it a tossup or lean Democratic flip; it is one of the races expected to decide control of the House. Feely has out-raised Shah $2.53 million to $1.83 million.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
A Arizona ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.