Marlene Galán-Woods, Rick McCartney, Amish Shah, and Jonathan Treble are running in the Democratic primary for Arizona's 1st Congressional District on July 21. Galán-Woods and Shah lead in endorsements and media attention. Incumbent David Schweikert (R) is running for governor of Arizona.

Having voted for former President Joe Biden (D) in 2020 and President Donald Trump (R) in 2024, the district is one of the most competitive in the country and a top Democratic target in 2026. As of May 11, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales, and Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball all rate the 1st District a toss-up.

12 News' Kevin Reagan writes, "Republicans have a significant advantage over Democrats in the party's number of registered voters in CD1. But the district has over 180,000 non-affiliated voters who could sway the election's outcome." AZ Central's Laura Gersony adds that the district "has historically preferred more moderate political figures."

Galán-Woods is a former broadcast journalist. Her campaign website says she is "running for Congress to stand up to extremists and be a voice for all Arizonans. She will be the courageous, truthful leader Arizona’s first district deserves." Galán-Woods switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party in 2018. In 2024, she said, "I have always been pro-choice, pro-democracy, pro-climate. My values have never changed. What changed was the Republican party."

Shah is an emergency room physician. He represented the 5th District in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2023 to 2024 and the 24th District from 2019 to 2023. Shah's campaign website says that as a state legislator, Shah was an "independent voice working across party lines to put Arizona families first while standing up to extremist attacks on abortion and voting rights. In Congress, he’ll work to lower costs for hardworking Arizonans, protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, fight for abortion rights, and keep families safe."

Galán-Woods and Shah competed against each other in the district's 2024 Democratic primary, with Shah winning the primary with 23.5% of the vote and Galán-Woods placing third with 21.2%. Schweikert defeated Shah in the general election 51.9%-48.1%.

On May 4, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added Galán-Woods to its "Red to Blue" program, which includes strategic guidance, staff resources, training, and fundraising support. Elections analyst Nathan L. Gonzales says Shah could have a possible advantage with "residual name identification [that] could help him top a crowded primary field with a plurality of the vote once again."

This is one of 56 races for the U.S. House of Representatives this year in which an incumbent is not running for re-election. Across the country, 20 Democrats and 36 Republicans are not running for re-election. In 2024, 45 incumbents — 24 Democrats and 21 Republicans — did not seek re-election.