Dr. Amish Shah did not vote to let convicted child molesters “back into our schools,” as a new attack ad falsely claims.
The TV spot is being run by Safety and Affordability PAC, an offshoot of the President Donald Trump-affiliated MAGA Inc.
The ad’s voiceover quotes news reports about an Arizona girl who was “molested at 12 by her teacher and coach.” It then says her perpetrator was “back on our streets” after “only nine months in jail” before claiming Shah opposed a law requiring “pedophiles” to notify schools of their past convictions.
In reality, the perpetrator in question was never given such leniency, and the bill Shah opposed did not provide schools with new information.
Shah served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2019 to 2024 and is now the Democratic nominee for the state’s 1st congressional district. His Republican opponent is former NFL kicker Jay Feely.
The ad is referring to the case of Kayleigh Kozak, who was assaulted almost 20 years ago by Josh Jacobson, her teacher and soccer coach.
Jacobson’s probation guidelines explicitly prohibited him from having contact with minors and further required parents of children he encountered to sign notarized letters allowing contact. According to KTVK News, Jacobson agreed to these restrictions in order to avoid a longer incarceration.
In other words, Shah had nothing to do with Jacobson’s release, and at no point was Jacobson permitted to enter school buildings or interact with children.
While Shah did oppose Senate Bill 1253, which would have required sex offenders who were legal guardians of students to annually notify the school of their offender status, the proposed law was largely redundant.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety already notifies school districts of sex offenders. The bill would have created an additional reporting requirement that advocates warned could expose the children of sex offenders to bullying and harassment.
Senate Bill 1253 narrowly passed the Arizona House in 2023 but was vetoed by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs.
The ad’s claims are further undermined by Shah’s support for Kayleigh’s Law, which was named for Kozak and made it a class 1 misdemeanor for a convicted abuser to contact their victims.
Shah also supported a 2019 law that extended the statute of limitations for child sexual assault survivors to file civil suits against their abusers as well as any institutions that enabled such abuse, including schools.
The contest to represent Arizona’s 1st District is widely regarded as one of the most competitive House races of 2026.
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