Democrat Rick McCartney, the founder of Phoenix-based advertising company InMedia, has become the fifth Democrat candidate to challenge incumbent Congressional District 1 Republican Rep. David Schweikert. McCartney, 58, joins fellow Democrats Amish Shah, Brian Del Vecchio, Marlene Galán-Woods, and Jonathan Treble in the upcoming Democratic primary to determine who will challenge the seven-term incumbent Republican budget hawk.
According to the Cook Political Report, Schweikert’s District is an R+1, classified in 2026 as a toss-up district despite the Republican’s 3.8 point victory in 2024 over Shah.
McCartney is an LGBTQ activist and has chaired the board of one-n-ten, “the largest organization supporting LGBTQ+ youth in Arizona,” according to his campaign website. In his bio he describes the campaign as “personal,” with his campaign stating, “As gay men, Rick and his husband stand in the crosshairs of Donald Trump’s assault on vulnerable communities.” He also chaired the Maricopa County Workforce Development Board, and is likely familiar to local Democrats.
My name is Rick McCartney. I’m a father, small business owner, and non-profit leader who's lived in Arizona's 1st Congressional District for 30 years.
Now, I'm the Democrat running for Congress to flip Arizona's 1st and fight for everyday people who’ve been ignored for too long. pic.twitter.com/nkaoQolUx7
— McCartney for Congress (@RickMcCartneyAZ) May 21, 2025
But this was where the specifics from McCartney’s campaign ended. The site, appearing to be an early build, is bereft of policy planks or campaign goals other than to “stand up to Trump and end his lawless assault on vulnerable communities,” or claiming to know “what Arizona workers and businesses need to succeed,” and touting “lower prices, a growing economy, and jobs with good benefits.”
Speaking with AZCentral McCartney said, “What we’re seeing with Donald Trump right now is just very destructive to a lot of the great things that we’ve been working on here in this district.” As noted by the outlet, he is in quite deep with the Democrat powerbrokers of the state, joining elected officials on international trips with Governor Katie Hobbs and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego according to his LinkedIn.
Reporter Laura Gersony noted that McCartney also boasts “relationships with well-connected political donors and philanthropists.”
Former state lawmaker Amish Shah, a Democrat, announced his intent to again challenge Congressman David Schweikert in 2026.
Shah failed to defeat Schweikert in last November’s general election, despite attempts to style himself as an independent to Maricopa County voters.
The former state lawmaker spread the news of his intent to run to The Arizona Republic. Shah said the voters must have regrets for electing Schweikert.
“I see a country that is in chaos,” said Shah. “I don’t think this is what people voted for.”
Shah indicated he may take a more openly progressive approach to his second run against Schweikert. Shah emphasized his defense of abortion access, specifically to the abortion drug mifepristone, and a desire for “actually getting stuff done for the people” rather than his view of Schweikert’s approach to office “just talking about stuff.”
“Instead of fighting for Arizonans, too many of our leaders are standing by and choosing to do nothing as we are confronted with some really serious challenges,” said Shah.
I’m running for Congress because Arizona deserves leadership that listens, shows up, and gets things done. Let’s bring integrity and real results back to Washington. Sign the petition to get me on the ballot → https://t.co/GV4iPvKaukpic.twitter.com/ewRJ76q04y
Shah also criticized Schweikert’s continued support for President Donald Trump’s economic policies. Schweikert, vice chair of the Joint Economic Committee and member of the Ways and Means Committee, has indicated some reservations about the president’s tariffs and the ongoing trade war.
“[W]e see uncertainty injected into the environment, where businesses are afraid to invest,” said Shah. “[Schweikert] should have been out there saying, full-throatedly, that for the people of CD1, this is going to cause them massive disruption. It’s going to cause economic harm.”
People "wanted a steady hand" on the economy, Shah said. "Instead, we see uncertainty injected into the environment, where businesses are afraid to invest."
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists named Shah “Legislator of the Year” for his successful defense of the abortion pill, mifepristone, during the 2022 legislative session.
That year, Shah also cosponsored a bill to expand anti-discrimination laws to cover gender identity and sexual orientation advanced by former House Speaker Rusty Bowers, a Republican. Shah also put forth bills to redefine marriage within the state constitution.
Prior to his run last year, Shah openly situated himself within the socialist camp of the Democratic Party.
Shah headlined a 2019 town hall for then-presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, organized by the Phoenix Democratic Socialists of America and Progressive Democrats of America, where he advocated for government-run universal healthcare.
The year before that, Shah proposed ending capitalism and, in its place, implementing socialist policies.
Schweikert defeated Shah with 52 percent of the vote: a lead of about 16,600 votes. That lead made theirs one of the narrowest federal races — second only to the contest between incumbent Republican Congressman Juan Ciscomani and another repeat Democratic challenger, Kirsten Engel (in that race, Ciscomani led Engel by just over 10,800 votes).
Shah lost despite having outspent Schweikert by several million, per Federal Election Commission (FEC) data. Shah’s campaign spent over $6.2 million on his race, while Schweikert’s campaign spent over $4.2 million.
There are other Democrats vying to challenge Schweikert: Tammi Medlin, Marlene Galan-Woods, Brandon Donnelly, and Brian Del Vecchio.
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A new caucus has been formed within the U.S. House of Representatives to champion the conservation and humane treatment of wild horses. The aptly named ‘Congressional Wild Horse Caucus’ announced Thursday, will be co-chaired by Republican Congressmen David Schweikert and Juan Ciscomani of Arizona and Democrat Reps. Dina Titus of Nevada and Steve Cohen of Tennessee. The caucus will pursue reforms to conservation laws and regulations.
Schweikert spoke of his formative experiences on Arizona ranches and farms in a statement saying, “Growing up, I had the blessing of spending much time on several ranches and farms in Arizona. These experiences have led me to serve as an advocate for humane treatment and protection of these majestic species. I’m looking forward to the conservation initiatives that will come out of the formation of this caucus.”
Breaking!: Reps Dina Titus, Juan Ciscomani, David Schweikert, and Steve Cohen today launched the first-ever Congressional Wild Horse Caucus, dedicated to keeping America's wild horses wild! Ask your member of Congress to join the caucus, here: https://t.co/bE6xc5BtoHpic.twitter.com/k5W4CQ1Tav
— American Wild Horse Conservation (@FreeWildHorses) May 8, 2025
Congressman Ciscomani reflected on the wild horses of Arizona as well as the burros that are also found in the state’s deserts. “Wild horses and burros embody the spirit and heritage of the West and deserve to be protected and treated humanely. For too long, these animals have been subject to cruel and costly roundups that, at best, remove them from their natural habitat to be housed in warehouses, and at worse, result in the death of the animal.“
He added, “Caring for wild horses and burros is not a partisan issue, which is why I am proud to be named as Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Wild Horse Caucus to promote humane policies, such as fertility control and habitat preservation, to manage and care for these iconic animals.”
The newly formed bipartisan caucus is supported by non-profit organizations including the American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) and the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI). Senior figures from both organizations expressed the importance of the Caucus’ work.
Suzanne Roy, executive director of AWHC, called the creation of the caucus “an important step toward reforming a broken system.” She added, “For too long, federal wild horse policy has relied on costly and inhumane roundups that remove animals from the range only to warehouse them in holding facilities. We commend the leaders of the Wild Horse Caucus for recognizing that there’s a better way to manage our wild herds that is rooted in humane treatment, science, and fiscal responsibility.”
Dr. Joanna Grossman, Ph.D., AWI’s equine program director and senior policy advisor, said, “Protecting America’s wild horses and burros has always been a bipartisan issue, in large part because these iconic animals hold an important place in our country’s history and because, for countless Americans, they continue to embody the spirit of freedom and resilience.”
She concluded, “We are grateful to Representatives Titus, Ciscomani, Schweikert, and Cohen for their outstanding leadership on this issue. The Congressional Wild Horse Caucus will help ensure these beloved animals will be protected for generations to come.”
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has made it clear that it is targeting the congressional districts of Congressmen David Schweikert (AZ-01), Eli Crane (AZ-02), and Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06) in 2026.
On Wednesday the Arizona Democratic Party said it is “focused on winning these critical seats, paving the way for a Democratic House majority in 2026.” The release referred to the three Republican Congressmen as “vulnerable,” and their districts as “competitive.”
Arizona Democratic Party Chairman Robert E. Branscomb, II claimed, “Arizonans are tired of David Schweikert, Eli Crane, Juan Ciscomani and other MAGA-cronies playing politics with the issues that impact their ability to make ends meet. As a Party, we will stop at nothing to hold them accountable and to finally elect leaders who will move Arizona forward.” However, the state of play in each district doesn’t seem to be that simple.
Schweikert and Ciscomani both won their 2024 elections with 2-3% margins with Schweikert serving as Ciscomani’s CD6 predecessor before moving to CD1 with redistricting. Each of these constituencies are competitive by their nature and by design, according to the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC). The 2021 commission held District 1 competitiveness at a 2.6% vote spread and District 6 at a 2.4% spread, both of which proved accurate in the 2024 race.
Historically, the area that is now District 6 has seen six Republican victories and only three for the Democrats in the in the past nine statewide elections, making District 1 truly the most “competitive” with a more even split of 5 GOP victories to 4 losses per the AIRC.
The same day the Arizona Democratic Party issued their press release, both Reps. Ciscomani and Crane held telephone town hall meetings with their constituents.
The DCCC’s calculus seems to fall short with Rep. Eli Crane’s District 2 seat though, which has seen historically zero Democrat wins in the last nine races and was designed to hold a 7.2% vote spread competitively. That spread Crane decisively beat in his 9-point victory over Democrat Jonathan Nez last year.
As AZ Free Newsreported in February when a Democrat SuperPAC bankrolled by leftist billionaires announced they would target his seat, Crane’s response was blunt. He wrote in a post to X, “The great thing about #AZ02 is they see through phony attacks by coastal elites. Bring it.”
Given the historic makeup of these districts: two of them designed to give Democrats a chance and a third that appears nearly unassailable, the AZDems assessment of the three Congressmen as “vulnerable,” and their districts as “more “competitive than normal” seems questionable at best.
In a speech on the House floor earlier this week, Arizona Republican Congressman David Schweikert (R-AZ-01) blasted leftist activists and vandals who allegedly affixed a swastika to his wife’s Tesla.
Schweikert expressed exasperation speaking to the House saying, “It’s not, ‘Hey David, we’re concerned about Medicaid. Here are ideas for how you could deal with debt and deficits so we have the resources.’ No, because [instead], it’s this really high-brow intellectual conversation from our brothers and sisters on the other side: Stick Nazi things on people’s cars. This is what you’ve come down to? This is what’s going on?”
The congressman reflected that when his wife bought a Tesla a few years back, they were teased by fellow conservatives. Then, he excoriated the leftists resorting to “stick[ing] Nazi signs on people’s cars.”
“The wheels are coming off, and instead, the brain trust of some of these folks… okay, I accept that the tonal quality from some of the folks out of the White House isn’t warm and cuddly, but [is the answer really to] go around neighborhoods and offices and stick Nazi signs on people’s cars?“
The congressman, a well known critic of out-of-control government spending, explained, “Over the next 10 years, we’re going to spend $86 trillion. We’re talking about at best on the house budget resolution cutting $2 trillion over those 10 years. That’s 2.3%. Oh, god, dear heaven, you’re butchering government. 2.3%. You’re telling me if we didn’t grind through government, look at our programs, look at all the reports the GAO gives us of waste and fraud and programs that haven’t been authorized in decades, you couldn’t find 2.3%? But it’s easier to stick this sort of crap on my wife’s windshield than to do the intellectual work of saying, ‘I think we have more elegant ways to spend and make it better, faster, cheaper for the American people.’ No, we’d rather burn things down. Are we all proud of ourselves?”
As reported by the Fountain Hills Times, protesters marched on Schweikert’s Scottsdale District Office as recently as Sunday. Ten days prior, protesters delivered a petition to the Congressman’s office demanding he conduct a townhall meeting with 30 protesters holding signs outside of the building at Northsight Boulevard and Raintree Drive.
