Arizona Police Union Endorses Dr. Amish Shah Over Republican Jay Feely in AZ-01

“In the Arizona State House, Amish Shah worked to keep our communities safe, support law enforcement officers, and to stop the flow of fentanyl into our communities,” Jason Winskey, the chairman of CLEAA, wrote in a statement to New Times. “We know he’ll continue to do the same in Congress.” 

CLEAA’s endorsement comes in recognition of Shah’s strong public safety record. In the state House, Shah bucked his own party and was the only Democrat to vote to crack down on fentanyl trafficking. He also championed legislation to fund the police, fund border security and drug task forces, and better support the families of fallen police officers.

Read the coverage for yourself… 

Phoenix New Times: Arizona police union endorses Democrat in competitive House race

• A law enforcement association dolled out the first police endorsement in the competitive race for Arizona’s Congressional District 1 on Wednesday. In a rare move, the group is endorsing the Democrat rather than the Trump-backed Republican.
• The Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Arizona told Phoenix New Times Tuesday that they are endorsing Democrat emergency room doctor and former state Rep. Amish Shah in the race instead of former Cardinals kicker Jay Feely, whom Donald Trump has endorsed. 
• “In the Arizona State House, Amish Shah worked to keep our communities safe, support law enforcement officers, and to stop the flow of fentanyl into our communities,” Jason Winskey, the chairman of CLEAA, wrote in a statement to New Times. “We know he’ll continue to do the same in Congress.”
• CLEAA represents more than 2,100 law enforcement officers statewide, including officers involved with the Maricopa County Probation Officers Association.
• “I’m honored to stand with our police officers and to have the endorsement of the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Arizona,” Shah wrote in a statement to New Times. “In the legislature, I worked to Back the Blue and fully fund Arizona’s police and in Congress, I’ll continue to work closely with them to keep our communities safe.” 
• “We… have a proven track record with Dr. Shah and his open-door willingness to meet with us and his voting record, and so we just made the decision to endorse Dr. Shah for this race,” [CLEAA Executive Director Jobe Dickinson said.]
• Shah’s willingness to meet with CLEAA leadership and his introduction of HB2336 in 2023 impressed Dickinson. The bill aimed to make family members of officers who died by suicide after being diagnosed with PTSD eligible for Arizona’s fallen officer tuition benefit to attend community college or university tuition-free.
• Shah also attracted police support with his “yes” vote in 2022 on a Republican-sponsored bill to lower the felony threshold for fentanyl trafficking to nine grams. The legislation, signed into law by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, imposed longer mandatory minimum sentences for people convicted of possessing smaller amounts of fentanyl. Shah, the lone Democrat to vote for the measure, cited his work as an active emergency physician and claimed that nine grams could translate to roughly 4,500 lethal overdoses.
• That same year, Shah also supported legislation to clarify the definition of armed robbery and a bill to double the protective order period to two years. 
• While in the legislature, Shah also voted for a 2024 state budget that included more than $200 million for border security, specialized law enforcement operations, drug task forces and local police grants. He also supported salary increases for Arizona Department of Public Safety officers to address staffing shortages and a budget payout directed toward the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System. He has also rejected calls to defund the police. 

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