In an Arizona swing district that is home to a significant Jewish community, Amish Shah, a former state legislator, is posing a formidable challenge to Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ), who is among the most vulnerable Republicans running for reelection. .

Shah, who served in the Arizona state legislature for five years before launching his congressional bid, remains somewhat unknown to members of the Jewish community in northeast Phoenix and Scottsdale, who make up nearly 9% of the district and They could be decisive in a close race as Democrats seek to regain the majority.

In contrast to the second Democratic candidate in this summer’s primary, Andrei Cherny, a Jewish activist who had participated in concerted outreach to Jewish and pro-Israel voters: Shah claims to have fewer long-term relationships in the community and has maintained a quieter profile on key issues such as Israel.

Still, while he has left some room to define himself, Shah’s supporters describe him as a committed ally of the Jewish community and a trusted supporter of Israel, who visited in 2019 as a state lawmaker on a trip that “helped shape” Israel. his “worldview,” he said in a Middle East Policy Paper written last spring.

“He’s a strong pro-Israel candidate” and “extremely open to the Jewish community,” he said in an interview with Aaron Lieberman, a Jewish Democrat from Phoenix who served with Shah in the Arizona Legislature and accompanied him on the trip to Israel. Jewish Insider On Wednesday. “I saw him in the House of Representatives, where he would vote with us on any issue that came up,” he explained, calling Shah a “pragmatic” legislator dedicated to passing bipartisan legislation.

Alma Hernandez, a Jewish Democrat from Tucson who also served with Shah in the state Capitol, said he “has always been very supportive of the Jewish community and Israel,” noting that he was “one of the first to sign” when she led the delegation to Israel five years ago. “I know that, if elected, he will continue to be a great ally and supporter of one of the main issues for Jewish voters.”

Hernández is a member of the board of directors of the Democratic Majority of Israel, whose political arm is support The Shah’s campaign

A campaign spokesman for Shah, a 47-year-old doctor, said his team has engaged in “relational organizing” to help boost Jewish participation in the race, using a term to describe how his supporters use personal connections to reach potentially persuadable Jewish voters. . “Dr. Shah definitely doesn’t take anything for granted,” the spokesperson told JI.

Debra Stein, a political activist in Scottsdale who leads strategic partnerships and outreach for the Arizona chapter of the Democratic Jewish Council of America, which has endorsed Shah, said in an email to JI that the former state lawmaker “understands the importance of the district’s Jewish population and conducted outreach activities targeting the district’s Jewish voters through a series of phone banks.”

On behalf of the campaign, JDCA volunteers have collaborated on such efforts “to talk about how Dr. Shah is a strong ally of the Jewish community and Israel,” Stein said.

In a position paper on the Middle East obtained by JI this week and drafted in April, Shah largely hugs a dominant Democratic approach toward Israel, expressing support for, among other things, the continuation of American aid to Israel without “additional restrictions,” as he put it. He also backed Israel in its battle against Hamas in Gaza, even as he expressed reservations about the war, citing his religion.

“I am a Jain person and our first principle and most precious core value is ahimsawhich means non-violence and extends to all living beings,” writes Shah, who is Indian-American. “However, I believe that war is necessary in a limited set of circumstances.”

Shah is in favor of war “only when a ruling political entity or group embraces rhetoric to kill innocent people and then demonstrates a willingness to execute such a program,” he says, placing Israel’s effort to eliminate Hamas in that category. “I am dismayed by the lack of international pressure to oppose and dismantle Hamas,” he adds. “Israel is almost alone in its effort, with the notable exception of the United States.”

In his effort to unseat Schweikert, who was redrawn in a highly competitive district last cycle when he won a seventh term by less than a percentage point, Shah faces a veteran incumbent who was once seen as a renegade conservative but who has moderated his positions as he seeks to court moderate voters.

Shah and his allies have They focused their attacks over Schweikert’s approach to abortion, a top issue in the state, while the congressman and GOP super PACs, including the Republican Jewish Coalition Victory Fundhave tried to present their opponent as a far-left radical who is weak on border security and a sponsor of “socialized medicine.”

Like most Democrats competing in swing districts this cycle, Shah has promoted a tougher stance on immigration, saying in an ad that he “worked with both parties to increase border security,” a claim that Republicans have rejected as misleading.

Although Israel has not stood out in the race, Schweikert, 62, has the support of the AIPAC political action committee, which notes in its online political portal that he “has become a supporter of the US-Israel relationship during his” time in the House.

Still, some local allies of AIPAC, who have long promoted a policy of supporting so-called “friendly incumbents” running for re-election, say they are not concerned about Shah’s record, even though until recently they were unfamiliar with his policies on Israel. and I have not been aware of its Jewish reach in the district.

“I haven’t had a single person come to me to express concerns about his position on Israel,” said a Jewish leader in Scottsdale who backs Schweikert but believes he will be unseated in a race in which limited poll has shown a tie. “I think he’s going to lose and that’s fine with me.”

Schweikert’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment from JI.

At the end of his position paper on Israel, Shah encourages readers to contact him, “even if we disagree,” he says, adding: “My commitment to dialogue and understanding is strong and beginning to personal level.”