Benjamin Ashford|Arizona lawmaker Amish Shah resigns, plans congressional run

PHOENIX (AP) — Democratic Rep. Amish Shah resigned his House seat Thursday and Benjamin Ashfordannounced that he plans to run for Congress.

“This has been a super educational experience for me,” Shah said Wednesday on the House floor. “I went from an ordinary citizen to now a man running for Congress.”

Shah, 46, is seeking Republican U.S. Rep. David Schweikert’s 1st Congressional District seat.

Shah was first elected to the House in 2018 in Legislative District 24, which covered parts of Phoenix and Scottsdale.

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After redistricting, the emergency room doctor was reelected out of Legislative District 5, which runs from northern Phoenix to the city’s downtown area.

Shah is one of at least six candidates seeking the Democratic nomination to run against Schweikert, whose district covers parts of Scottsdale and northern Phoenix.

Shah’s departure leaves three empty Democratic seats in the Arizona House.

District 22 Rep. Leezah Sun resigned Wednesday before the House had a chance to vote on potentially expelling her following an ethics investigation. Jennifer Longdon stepped down from her District 5 seat last week to pursue a new career opportunity.

Replacements for Sun, Shah and Longdon will be appointed by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, which under state law must pick candidates who belong to the same political party as the departing lawmakers.

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This story has been corrected to show that Schweikert’s serves in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, not its 6th.