Democrat Primary Infighting Escalates In AZ-01 After D.C. Democrat Meddling
Democrats Marlene Galan-Woods and Amish Shah locked themselves into a bitter race to prove who’s the most extreme liberal. Yesterday, Galan-Woods called for dark money Democrat groups to run attack ads on Shah “as soon as possible” following backlash to D.C. Democrats meddling in the Democrat primary to prop her up.
“While Arizona Democrats tear each other apart trying to win the socialists’ stamp of approval, hardworking Arizona families are watching in disgust. Out of touch liberals Marlene Galan-Woods and Amish Shah showed they only want to impress far-left activists, raise taxes and reopen the border.” – NRCC Spokesperson Ben Petersen
In case you missed it…
Fight Mode for CD1
Arizona Agenda
May 14, 2026
Last week, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) announced it would put its weight behind candidate Marlene Galán-Woods in a crowded Dem primary for Arizona’s 1st Congressional District.
Now, she’s dropping hints on her campaign website that she wants her allies to go hard after another top contender, Amish Shah.
And by dropping hints, we mean very overtly spelling out what she wants her “independent” supporters to do on her behalf.
“Groups which have the capacity to go up on Phoenix broadcast should do so as soon as possible with an initial emphasis on Amish messaging,” the website reads, adding that voters need to learn that “Amish Shah’s own Democratic colleagues say he cannot be trusted to stand up for us or against MAGA” and that “in the state House, Shah sold us out to extreme Republicans.”
This not-so-subtle art of posting messaging guidance is a classic and common workaround for campaigns, which are prohibited from coordinating with “independent expenditure committees,” a type of PAC. Those PACs then usually turn around and run attack ads against a candidate’s opponent(s).
It’s a signal that the Democratic primary is heating up, and that after Shah’s weirdly aggressive start to an interview with 12News’ Brahm Resnik, Galán-Woods is going all out after Shah — who beat her two years ago in the primary.
Expect those attack ads to hit your airwaves any day now.