Schweikert Holds Steady Lead Against Shah in Arizona’s First Congressional District Race

Incumbent U.S. Congressman David Schweikert is on track to secure reelection in Arizona’s First Congressional district, bolstered by newly released results. The Republican candidate, who first entered Congress in 2010, initially lagged behind Democrat Amish Shah on election night.

However, as more votes were counted early Wednesday, Schweikert surged ahead. By 7 p.m. on Wednesday, a release from Maricopa County revealed Schweikert had captured 51.4% of the votes compared to Shah’s 48.6%, with a lead of over 9,400 votes. The Associated Press has yet to call the race.

Maricopa County, which has processed nearly 1.5 million out of approximately 2.1 million ballots, indicated that final tallies would take additional days. As of the latest update, the County had only counted early ballots submitted before Election Day, suggesting it may be a while longer before the outcome is clear.

Representing nearly 60% of Arizona’s registered voters, Maricopa is the state’s most populous county, with full ballot counts expected to conclude within 10 to 13 days post-election. Schweikert’s district encompasses parts of central and northern Phoenix, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Fountain Hills, and Cave Creek, making it one of the wealthiest districts in Arizona.

Having narrowly escaped defeat in 2022, Schweikert entered this election with perceived vulnerabilities. His campaign, which emphasized economic issues, seems to have resonated amid shifting voter priorities.

An exit poll from the Washington Post indicated that 32% of voters identified the economy as their primary concern for 2024, just trailing the state of democracy at 34%. Abortion rights garnered attention from only 14% of participants.

Shah, a former state lawmaker and emergency room doctor, resigned from the legislature earlier this year to launch his campaign against Schweikert. He initially gained election to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2018 and resigned midway through his third term.

While campaigning heavily on abortion accessibility, Shah was among many Democratic candidates targeting this issue. Though voters in Arizona recently backed a measure to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, the support did not translate into success for all pro-choice candidates.

Schweikert, who has closely aligned with far-right ideologies, has consistently backed policies to restrict abortion access throughout his tenure. He has also supported a GOP-led budget that proposed raising the retirement age to 69, potentially delaying Social Security benefits for seniors—though he claims to oppose this particular element of the plan.

The Congressman has faced scrutiny over his campaign financing practices, incurring fines totaling $175,000 from the Federal Election Commission and the House Ethics Committee for multiple violations, including failing to report loans and misusing campaign funds.

This story has been updated to clarify that while Schweikert has not explicitly called for raising the retirement age, he has supported a budget proposal advocating it. Following publication, his campaign asserted that he opposes an increase in the retirement age.