TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — These days most congressional districts are drawn in a way that gives one party or the other a strong edge on who will win that district’s seat in the House. Arizona’s Congressional District 6 is different.
The district is almost evenly split among Independents, Republicans and Democrats. With Republicans controlling the House by only a few seats, whether voters choose Republican incumbent Juan Ciscomani or Democratic challenger Joanna Mendoza could help determine which party controls the chamber.
We are presenting separate profiles of both candidates.
After two terms in office, Ciscomani is asking voters for two more years. He says he expects Republicans to retain the majority, but says he’ll continue to hold a seat on the House Appropriations Committee even if they don’t.
Ciscomani says that gives him influence over spending and helps him help the people of District 6.
“The only one in Arizona in the Appropriations Committee has allowed me to have a seat at the table and advocate for millions of dollars to be coming back home to fund fire, police, JTED building, for example. We have water infrastructure projects all the way over in the rural areas, rural hospitals that we bring in money for. These are all things that I can do as a member of Congress so I can look at the issue and actually bring results.”
Ciscomani’s support of the recent big budget bill draws fire from his opponent, Mendoza. She says it made health coverage hard to get for people who need it, and threatens to force rural hospitals to close.
RELATED: Candidate profile: Democrat Joanna Mendoza for Congressional District 6
Ciscomani says he’s helped small hospitals acquire important equipment and helped protect health coverage for people who need it most.
“Every dollar that is caught in fraud with these people that are stealing it is not going to the families that it is meant to go to. So our goal is to protect the Medicaid dollars to go to the single moms, the people with disabilities, the people that actually need it the most, people in rural areas that don't have access to other forms of healthcare, especially in our state that's so spread out, we wanna make sure that we protect it for them.”
Both candidates see cost of living as a key issue.
MORE COVERAGE: VOTER GUIDE: What to know about Arizona's 2026 election
Ciscomani sees the tough and technical issue of water management as a key to Arizona’s future.
“You have certain cycles every decade or so that water is the topic of conversation because of the negotiations or in this case a drought combined with negotiations at the high level regarding the Colorado River. So all these things make up for water to be really the catalyst of so many conversations when you talk about how's the growth. To come to the area, economic development, of course, survival of being able to have the water necessary.”
To watch the full interview, click the player below:
