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Arizona CD1 candidates Jay Feely and Amish Shah clash over data centers
The article reports on a contentious debate in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District (CD-1) between Republican Jay Feely and Democrat Amish Shah.
Updated Oct 16, 2026, 2:28 PM ET
Jay Feely, a Republican CBS Sports analyst and former National Football League placekicker whose teams included the Arizona Cardinals, faces Democrat Amish Shah for Arizona's open 1st congressional district seat in 2026.
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Recent media coverage for Jay Feely.
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Kyrsten Sinema Reportedly Voted For ‘Commonsense,’ ‘Fiscal Conservative’ Jay Feely In GOP Primary
Kyrsten Sinema reportedly backed Republican Jay Feely in Arizona’s 2026 GOP primary for the 1st Congressional District (AZ-01).
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CD 1 debate sees Jay Feely and Amish Shah avoid attacks
Jay Feely (Republican) is a candidate in Arizona's 1st Congressional District (AZ-01). He participated in a Clean Elections debate with Democrat Amish Shah at Sneaky Big Studios in Scottsdale on October 7, 2026.
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Amish Shah Wins Democratic Nod in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District
Amish Shah won the Democratic primary in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, defeating the DCCC-endorsed Marlene Galán-Woods despite the party’s backing.
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🚨 RATINGS CHANGE: Inside Elections Shifts AZ-01 in Amish Shah’s Direction
Inside Elections shifted Arizona’s 1st Congressional District (AZ-01) from Toss-Up to Tilt Democratic, signaling momentum for Amish Shah.
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- Jesuit High School
University of Michigan
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Jay Feely, born Thomas James Feely, attended Jesuit High School in Tampa, Florida, where he set Hillsborough County career and season records for field goals and extra points. At 16 he played for the Temple Terrace Spirit soccer team that won the National Championships. His father, Thomas J. "T.J."
Feely, owns the Feely Kicking School of Tampa, and his grandfather, Thomas J. Feely, coached college basketball and baseball at St. Thomas College in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Feely was a four-year letterman at the University of Michigan from 1994 to 1998 and earned an All-Big Ten mention as a senior after converting 17 of 22 field goal attempts.
Career
After going undrafted in the 1999 NFL draft, Feely kicked in the Arena Football League for the Florida Bobcats and the Tampa Bay Storm. He signed with the Atlanta Falcons in 2001 and became a consensus all-rookie selection, and in 2002 his 32 field goals tied for the most in the NFL.
He went on to play for the New York Giants, Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals and Chicago Bears, setting a Dolphins franchise record for field goal percentage at 91.3 in 2007 and kicking a career-best 61-yard field goal for Arizona in 2012.
Feely joined the CBS Sports Network in 2015 as a color analyst covering college football, and beginning in 2017 he also worked as a color commentator and reporter on CBS's NFL telecasts. He and his wife, Rebecca, live in Gilbert, Arizona, and have four children.
2026 race
Feely first announced in April 2025 that he would run as a Republican in Arizona's 5th congressional district to succeed Andy Biggs, who is running for governor, describing himself as a fiscal conservative, social conservative and "pro-business".
On December 19 he moved his campaign to the 1st district, based in the northeastern Phoenix suburbs including Scottsdale, where Republican incumbent David Schweikert withdrew in September 2025 to run for governor.
Feely won the Republican primary with 49.8% of the vote, defeating former state representative Joseph Chaplik (35.7%) and businessman John Trobough (14.5%).
In the general election on November 3, 2026, he faces Democrat Amish Shah, a former state representative and the party's nominee for the district in 2024.