AZ Votes Debate: Democratic candidates for Congressional District 1 | Apr. 2, 2024

Six Democratic candidates running for Arizona’s Congressional District 1 came together for a debate on a special episode of “Arizona Horizon.”

The candidates: Andrei Cherny, a former CEO and past chair for the Democratic Party from 2011 to 2012; Marlene Galan-Woods, a former journalist and wife of late Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods; Dr. Andrew Horne, an orthodontist who said he was persuaded to run after his daughter experienced a school shooting; Kurt Kroemer, a businessman; Conor O’Callaghan, an Irish born immigrant; and Dr. Amish Shah, a doctor.

Candidates were asked about various issues in Arizona such as abortion rights, gun ownership, education and inflation rates as well as what they would do to address these issues if elected to office.

Dr. Shah opened the debate covering the issue of health care, calling the current state of the health care system “abominable.”

“We pay more per capita than every other country on Earth, meaning twice more than the second most expensive country,” Dr. Shah said. “We leave people out in the cold.”

Dr. Shah believes health care is the number one issue in the upcoming election and is on the minds of all voters.

While health care will continue to be a main issue in the election, Kroemer believes the most important issue is democracy. After knocking on 12,000 doors, Kroemer discovered, after talking to voters, that their main concern is the integrity, values, and honor that surround democracy. Kroemer is determined to bring back integrity into congress.

Then turning to O’Callaghan and Galan-Woods, they both believe the number one issue, statewide and nationwide, is abortion rights.

“I think we’re going to see something very similar happen here that happened in Ohio,” O’Callaghan said. “Abortion rights passed overwhelmingly 57-43 in a state that probably leans more Republican.”

While O’Callaghan is ready for an overwhelming approval for abortion rights, he does not want to exclude the issues surrounding the economy and the border.

Moving over to Dr. Horne, he sees the number one issue being public education, claiming it is “under attack.”

“To have a strong democracy, you need a well-educated public,” Dr. Horne said. “Education is critically important to the future of this district.”

He wants to ensure the public is well-educated from the ground up to help build and sustain a better economy.