State Rep. Amish Shah announces he is running for Congress
State Rep. Amish Shah announced Monday he is running for Congress in Arizona's 1st Congressional District.
The seat is held by U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz.
"I'm proud of the overall record (at the State Capitol) in that I've been able to move a lot of legislation, (with the) most number of bills of anyone in my party," Shah, D-Phoenix, said. "The most number of bill votes in committee, most number of bills passed through the chamber, most number of bills signed into law."
He cited as examples legislation that would allow cities to ban fireworks after 11 p.m., that would remove the requirement of an additional special consent form for HIV testing, and that would streamline the system of prior authorizations in Arizona before a medical procedure.
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Shah, 45, has been in the Arizona House of Representatives since 2019. He initially represented Legislative District 24 until redistricting last year, and now represents Legislative District 5.
Shah is board certified in emergency room and sports medicine and works at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix. He has a master's in public health, and health care policy is one of his areas of expertise. Shah is running on a platform of universal health care and says that access, staffing shortages, and costs are some of the main problems with the current health care system.
"I know what happens when people are uninsured or underinsured. It leads to bankruptcy. It leads to poor decision-making, mean(ing) ... people are forced into poor choices, either forgo my next meal or two or afford my insulin. Those kinds of choices that I don't think people should have to make," he told The Arizona Republic in an interview.
"People end up using the emergency department as a place to get their access. ... And while we will see anybody and stabilize anybody, unfortunately, it's not comprehensive care. And that's one of the biggest reasons I got into politics, is to show people that this isn't a very good system for taking care of the whole human being."
Shah also talked about the "astronomical" price of health care even for those who have health insurance, citing statistics on how we spend more than any other country in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development on health care, with worse or similar results.
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The U.S. is the only wealthy OECD country that does not have universal health care for its citizens. According to the Commonwealth Fund, the U.S. spent nearly 18% of its gross domestic product on health care in 2021, which was twice as much as the average OECD country. Despite this, our life expectancy is seventy-seven years, lower than the OECD average of 80.4.
One reason Shah wants to run for Congress is the national government's role in legislating health care policy. He also wants to have a chance to make a larger difference.
"What I've learned over all my time in government is a lot of (health care policy) it is actually done at the federal level," he said. "I want to have an impact specifically in that part of policy, but also in several other areas that are also going to be at the federal level. And it's a chance to make a bigger impact."
Those other policies at the federal level include education and housing. Citing Arizona's low rankings in education, the shortage of teachers, and low funding levels, Shah said: "Arizona's education system has left a lot to be desired." He also discussed adding housing to help with a demand imbalance.
As a member of a 435 body of voting members in the House of Representatives, seniority matters in terms of ability to make a difference. Schweikert, 61, is a senior member of the influential Ways and Means Committee.
When asked why voters should select him over Schweikert and lose that seniority, Shah said: "What I'm bringing to the table is a few things. Number one, the commitment ... to knock doors ... to listen, to understand and build relationships with the constituents of the district, that that is always going to be the centerpiece and the focus of what I bring to legislative work."
Another advantage he brings to the table, Shah said, is his expertise in areas such as health care policy and experience.
"We all bring a very different experience. No two people are alike in terms of the lives they lead and where they're coming from."
Shah, originally from Chicago, is the son of Indian immigrants. He was a team physician for the New York Jets football team and also worked with the NFL on a research project to improve emergency care for players during games. He came to Arizona for a sports medicine program at the University of Arizona.
Shah's announcement comes as Schweikert's Democratic opponent in the 2022 election, Jevin Hodge, tweeted on March 31 that he is not running for office. Hodge had been contemplating another congressional bid. Former TV journalist Marlene Galan Woods earlier this year expressed to 12 News an interest in running for Schweikert's seat.
The 1st district is among Arizona's wealthiest and includes Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Cave Creek, Fountain Hills and sections of Phoenix.
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Tara Kavaler is a politics reporter at The Arizona Republic. She can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @kavalertara.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Amish Shah to run for Congress in Arizona's 1st Congressional District
