2026 Election: CD1 debate features Dr. Amish Shah, Jay Feely in key Arizona congressional race
Arizona CD 1 candidates discuss inflation, data centers, and Iran war in debate
In the debate for Arizona's 1st Congressional District, Republican Jay Feely and Democrat Dr. Amish Shah clash over economic, healthcare, and immigration philosophies, with Feely advocating for limited government, tax cuts, and strict border security, while Shah emphasizes a public healthcare option, grassroots representation, and working-class tax relief.
PHOENIX - Arizona voters in Congressional District 1 heard directly from the candidates competing to represent them in Washington as the campaign season enters its final stretch.
The debate took place on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 6 p.m. MST.
What we know:
Sponsored by the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission, the official sponsor of state political debates, the forum brought together Republican Jay Feely and Democrat Dr. Amish Shah to address key federal policy topics, the economy, healthcare and district priorities.
Why the seat is open:
Arizona's 1st Congressional District seat became open after seven-term Republican incumbent Rep. David Schweikert decided against seeking reelection to the U.S. House, opting instead to run for Arizona Governor. Schweikert, who lost the Republican gubernatorial primary to U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs in July, previously held the seat after defeating Shah in a close 2024 general election contest.
Meet the candidates
Thomas "Jay" Feely IV (Republican): Feely played 14 seasons as an NFL placekicker, including four years with the Arizona Cardinals, before spending a decade as an Emmy Award-winning NFL analyst for CBS. A University of Michigan graduate and 1997 national champion, Feely worked as a financial advisor prior to his football career and served on the NFLPA Executive Committee for over a decade. Feely won the Republican primary for CD1 following an endorsement from Donald Trump. Beyond sports and broadcasting, Feely serves on corporate boards, works as an angel investor, and runs the Feely Family Foundation alongside his wife, Rebecca, focusing on youth, education and faith-based community service.
Dr. Amish Shah (Democrat): Dr. Shah is an emergency medicine and sports medicine physician who served five years in the Arizona House of Representatives (2019–2024) after winning three consecutive elections. Raised in Chicago by immigrant parents from India, Shah earned his B.A. and M.D. from Northwestern University and an M.P.H. from UC Berkeley. In the state legislature, Shah had more bills signed into law than any Arizona Democrat in the last decade, focusing on teacher pay, public health and small business support. He previously served as a faculty member at Mount Sinai Medical Center and led the New York Jets Airway Management Team.
Economic policy and inflation
Jay Feely attributes inflation to overspending and money printing during the Biden administration. He advocates for limited taxes, deregulation, curbing government waste and fraud, and achieving real wage growth through free-market principles. Feely said he supports tax cuts that put money back into working families' pockets, including removing taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security.
Dr. Amish Shah shared his support for capitalism, citing his background in economics and business. He criticized the Trump administration's economic record, pointing to rising gas prices, ongoing foreign conflicts, unpredictable tariffs, and higher health care costs. He said he favors tax relief focused specifically on working-class citizens, such as eliminating taxes on tips and overtime, rather than permanent tax cuts for high earners.
Health care
Jay Feely opposes single-payer or government-controlled health care systems, arguing they eliminate competition and inflate costs. Instead, he advocates for price transparency and leveraging Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) to give consumers direct buying power.
Dr. Amish Shah advocates for a Medicare buy-in to create competition, lower insurance premiums, and move toward universal coverage without removing personal choice. However, he criticizes recent legislation cutting Medicaid funding, warning that uncompensated emergency room visits strain hospital finances and push premiums up for everyone.
Water and data centers
Both candidates agreed that Arizona must stand firm against Upper Basin states regarding Colorado River water cuts and prioritize conservation and desalination projects.
Jay Feely views the data center and tech industries as vital economic drivers that generate tax revenue, fund public services, like education, and create high-paying jobs.
Dr. Amish Shah acknowledges the economic role of AI and technology but argues against constructing data centers in CD1, citing constituent concerns over water usage, high energy consumption, noise, and traffic.
Immigration and border security
Jay Feely characterizes border management under the Biden administration as a total failure, arguing that open-border policies enabled illegal entries, strained social safety nets, and increased crime. However, he opposes amnesty for undocumented immigrants and emphasizes physical border security to protect American citizens.
Dr. Amish Shah stresses the need for a secure, legal, and constitutional immigration system while rejecting open borders. He advocates for targeted law enforcement against drug cartels and fentanyl trafficking, a legal pathway for DACA recipients ("Dreamers"), and structured guest-worker programs.
Foreign policy
Jay Feely supports taking decisive action to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons or long-range ballistic capabilities, arguing national security must take priority even if it temporarily impacts global energy prices.
Dr. Amish Shah agrees that a nuclear-armed Iran is unacceptable, but criticizes the current administration's diplomatic strategy, pointing to escalated regional instability, service member casualties, and disrupted supply lines.
Campaigns:
Jay Feely emphasizes conservative leadership, personal responsibility and economic opportunity built on his experiences in sports, business and community service. During his football and broadcasting career, Feely stood up for teammates during NFL labor negotiations. He advocates for fostering entrepreneurship, supporting educational freedom, and bringing faith- and community-focused principles to public office.
Dr. Amish Shah centers his campaign on healthcare access, lowering prescription drug prices and protecting reproductive freedom. Citing his background as an ER physician, Shah argues that politicians should not interfere in personal medical decisions and vows to fight price gouging on essential medications like insulin. Pointing to his legislative track record in Maricopa County, Shah stresses a bipartisan, independent approach to protecting Social Security, Medicare and voting rights.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission, the Arizona State Legislature and official candidate campaign biographies.