Arizona Democrats have been trying to win the Northeast Valley's Congressional District 1 away from Republican David Schweikert for almost two decades. This year is their best opportunity, but mostly because he's leaving Congress to run for governor.
This open seat is in one of the state's two swing districts and is considered one of the most competitive districts in the nation. In 2024, it was the only one in Arizona to vote for both Republican Donald Trump for president and Democrat Ruben Gallego for Senate.
That split decision highlights the competitive nature of the seat Democrats are hoping to finally flip. Before they can do that, though, they have to agree on a candidate.
The Democratic primary ballot will see familiar names like Dr. Amish Shah and Marlene Galán-Woods, who have run in this district before. But they are not the only names hoping to win the vote.
In this bonus episode of The Gaggle, national politics reporter Laura Gersony walks you through the similarities and differences between the candidates on the CD1 Democratic primary ballot.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic:Why Arizona Democrats think they can flip CD1