Arizona’s 1st congressional district has gone from a mostly red district, with a double-digit margin of victory for its Republican representative, to the third most contested house district in the United States this election cycle.

The incumbent in the 2024 election is Republican David Schweikert, who has served in Congress for over a decade. His opponent is Dr. Amish Shah, D-Az., who had served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2018 to 2024.

For Republican David Schweikert, the 2020 election and President Biden’s victory in the concurrent presidential race were wake-up calls. Following polarization in the political scene after Donald Trump entered, Arizona’s 1st congressional district no longer voted as red as before. Having won against Democrat Hiral Tipirneni by just 4.4% four years ago, compared to his previous double-digit margins of victory, Schweikert is once again facing a tough election.

Despite being currently behind in polls, Shah is a strong candidate. He won a six-way primary to become the Democratic nominee in the 1st congressional district. He sponsored over forty bills during his tenure in Arizona’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives. Furthermore, he has purportedly knocked on over 22,000 doors.

In February, Shah stepped down from his seat in the Arizona House of Representatives. “This has been a super educational experience for me,” Shah said on the House floor. “I went from an ordinary citizen to now a man running for Congress.”

Shah was born in Chicago, Illinois to Indian immigrant parents. He attended Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Later, he received a Master of Public Health degree from the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. He is a certified medical practitioner, and has served as the team physician for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). Now, he is an emergency medicine physician at the Mayo Clinic of Arizona.

Shah’s work experience allows him to bring a unique perspective to the political table. Along with abortion rights and border security, one of the main values Shah emphasizes in his campaign is affordable healthcare.

In an interview with the Arizona Media Association, he said “I want to make sure that these values that we care about, uplifting other people and having their dreams come true, are what America is all about. We want to make sure to transmit that to the next generation.”

By contrast, Schweikert’s stance focuses on proposing and implementing effective tax reforms and reducing the federal deficit. A part of the Ways and Means committee, Schweikert is widely known as a budget hawk for vocal efforts to combat “government overspending.”

However, Schweikert does not have an entirely clean slate. In 2020, he admitted to eleven violations of House ethics rules, including undisclosed loans and campaign contributions and misuse of campaign funds for personal purposes.

It is unknown whether this will affect voters’ choice in the upcoming election. On the other hand, voter turnout will likely be higher this year due to the presidential election. According to Chuck Coughlin, an Arizona-based political strategist, the higher youth turnout especially, could end up being to Shah’s benefit.

Currently, Schweikert has a projected 53.0% chance of victory, compared to Shah’s 47.0% chance of victory. These margins have constantly shifted for the past few weeks, and will continue to shift until election date.

From when early voting began on October 9 to the general election date of November 5, constituents have and will continue to cast votes. In the end, the sum of these votes, each the voice of an American citizen, will decide who will represent Arizona’s 1st congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.