Amish Shah Backs Off Plan To Switch Districts, Will Stay Put For Re-Election

By Jeremy Duda, Arizona Mirror

Rep. Amish Shah is scuttling his plan to move to a new district for his re-election campaign.

Shah, a two-term Democrat who lives in the new Central Phoenix-based District 5, filed last month to run in District 9, which covers west Mesa. The move would have gotten him out of a crowded Democratic primary that includes four incumbents and other challengers vying for the district’s two House seats and into a district with two open seats in the legislature’s lower chamber.

The problem is that Shah can’t legally run in one district while living in another. State law requires that legislative candidates live in the districts where they’re running at the time they file their nominating petitions, the deadline for which is April 4 this year. State law also requires that legislators live in the districts they represent. Because Shah would have to move out of the old District 24, which he was elected to represent in 2018 and 2020, he would have to resign his seat by the time he filed his petitions.

Shah had already begun collecting signatures for the race in District 9, where he’d planned to run with fellow Democratic House candidate Seth Blattman. But after consulting with attorneys, he realized it wasn’t possible, given that he still lives in central Phoenix.

“The plan was to move, as per legal requirements,” Shah told the Arizona Mirror. “We wanted everything to be perfect and legal, and if there is no way to do that, then we cannot execute that kind of plan.”

Shah faces a tough re-election in District 5, whose House representatives possibly fared the worst of any incumbent lawmakers in the recent redistricting process. Shah and fellow Democratic Rep. Jennifer Longdon have served together in the old District 24 since 2019. But redistricting added two other incumbent Democrats, Kelli Butler and the recently appointed Sarah Liguori into their district. Butler and Liguori lived in other districts on the old map that was in use from 2012-20.

Rather than run on a slate with his old seatmate Longdon or anyone else, Shah said he’ll be running on his own.

“In such a district, I think that everybody’s voices deserve to be heard. There are Democrats of all different stripes and life experiences, and all those should be welcome in a primary like that,” he said.

Shah said he’s already collected enough signatures to qualify for the ballot in the new District 5.

Though staying put means Shah doesn’t get to bypass a messy primary, his current district does have other advantages. District 5 is overwhelmingly Democratic, while District 9 leans slightly Democratic but is highly competitive, which could favor Republicans in what is expected to be a dominant electoral year for the GOP.

The only incumbent lawmaker of either party who lives in District 9 is Sen. Tyler Pace, a Mesa Republican.

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