Arizona’s 1st Congressional District is now an open seat, and what we do today will help determine who wins in 2026.
Open Seat in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District
Some important news out of Arizona:
GOP Rep. David Schweikert is leaving Congress to run for Governor—making one of the closest House seats in the country even more flippable for Democrats.
After barely scraping by in his last two elections and facing mounting backlash from voters, he knew he couldn’t win another race in this incredibly close swing district.
While in office, Schweikert took over $270,000 in illegal campaign donations, voted to block health care for veterans exposed to toxic substances, and proudly backed gutting Medicaid—calling concerns about it “whining and bedwetting.” He’s unpopular, and he saw the writing on the wall.
Now Republicans are scrambling. This open seat just became an even greater pickup opportunity for Democrats. Independent analyst Inside Elections just moved it from “Tilt Republican” to “Toss-Up.”
Here’s what makes this swing district (Arizona’s 1st) so competitive:
- In 2024, Trump won the district by 3 points—but Democrat Ruben Gallego carried it by 5 in his successful Senate race the same year.
- Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs and Senator Mark Kelly both won here in 2022.
- It includes blue-leaning Phoenix and swing suburbs like Scottsdale.
- And now, it’s an open seat with no clear Republican frontrunner.
We expect that control of the House next year will come down to only a few seats. That means this district could make the difference in whether Democrats can flip the House and put a real legislative check on Donald Trump and the MAGA agenda—but only if we take advantage of this moment.
Will you make a donation of $25, or whatever feels right, to help flip this seat and win other key swing House districts? Your donation will be split between Swing Left and all 22 of our target House races, including this one.
Donate $25 Now
Early funding and organizing win races like this one. Arizona’s primary isn’t until August 2026, giving the eventual Democratic nominee less than three months to shift from the primary to taking on the Republican in this race.
By donating now, you’ll help ensure the eventual Democratic nominees in each of our target swing districts will get a much-needed infusion of cash as soon as their primaries are over—allowing them to hit the ground running on day one.
The Swing Left community has made the difference in close races before. With your help, we can do it again.
Thank you for everything you do.
— The Swing Left Team
