Arizona’s 6th congressional district, representing Tucson, Sierra Vista, and Oro Valley, has been sought out after 2022 redistricting turned the district competitive. In 2022, US Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Tucson) took control of the purple district, and Democrats have been trying to unseat him and turn the district blue once and for all.
Both Republican incumbent Rep. Juan Ciscomani and Democrat JoAnna Mendoza ran unopposed in their primary elections. In 2024, President Donald Trump won the district by less than 1% in 2024, and the Cook Political Report rates CD6 as a “true toss up.”
So, who’s running?
Democratic nominee
A first-time congressional candidate, JoAnna Mendoza is running to lower costs, strengthen the job market, and protect Arizona’s water security, according to her campaign website.
Mendoza is a retired US Marine who served 20 years, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. A lifelong Arizonan, Mendoza grew up in Pinal County, where she’d wake up early during summer mornings and wait at a gas station with her parents for a bus to drive them to cotton fields where they would pick weeds to make ends meet. Growing up on SNAP food assistance and Medicaid, Mendoza has highlighted the importance of social programs and how they protect Arizonans.
“Everyone, regardless of their insurance coverage, feels the pinch when millions of people lose access to healthcare,” Mendoza wrote on a campaign site. “Rural healthcare facilities across Southern Arizona are especially at risk because of the cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill. That’s why JoAnna will work to reverse disastrous cuts to healthcare, including to AHCCCS and enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies.”
Mendoza has criticized Ciscomani for voting for Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which cut Medicaid and SNAP food assistance by an estimated $1 trillion combined over 10 years, according to Congressional Budget Office projections.
Per Mendoza’s campaign website, Mendoza is running to lower costs for Arizonans and protect Social Security for seniors.
“Right now, families are paying too much – for groceries, gas, healthcare, housing, and utilities. Instead of getting ahead, families are falling further behind,” Mendoza wrote.
Mendoza is also critical of data centers, an issue that has gained more attention and push back amidst the national data center boom. Arizona is home to more than 160 data centers, according to Data Center Map. Amidst a 20-year-long drought, advocates in Southern Arizona have pushed back against data centers in the desert, citing environmental harm and energy strains.
“As new industries like data centers expand, JoAnna will fight to make sure that these industries bring their own energy and don’t drive up costs for Arizonans. Her priority will be to keep utility costs from rising, protect workers and consumers, and safeguard our limited water supply.”
Republican nominee
US Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Tucson) has represented the district since 2022. Ciscomani grew up in the district after arriving from Mexico, according to his congressional website.
“As an immigrant American, Juan’s love of country and patriotism were born out of his upbringing in a working-class family,” Ciscomani wrote on his website. “His parents instilled in him conservative values, a strong work ethic, and an optimistic can-do attitude.”
Prior to holding office, Ciscomani worked for the University of Arizona and the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce before joining former Arizona Governor Doug Ducey’s administration as Senior Advisor and Vice-Chair of the Arizona-Mexico Commission, according to his website.
In 2022, he put his hat in the ring for Congress and beat out Democratic opponent Kirsten Engel for the seat.
Ciscomani has positioned himself as a moderate, belonging to the centrist Problem Solvers Caucus and Main Street Caucus, and was named the most bipartisan member of Arizona’s House delegation in his first term by the Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. Since 2025, however, Ciscomani has voted with Trump 100% of the time, according to a scorecard by the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank.
Ciscomani has also faced backlash for not holding a town hall, a pattern shared by many House Republicans, reportedly at the advice of Republican leadership.
In 2024, Ciscomani won reelection against Engel again. Per his website, Ciscomani’s top issues include border security, lowering taxes, and supporting veterans.
In his second congressional term, Ciscomani was one of a handful of Republican members who signified skepticism towards voting in favor of President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act due to sweeping Medicaid cuts. Despite his initial skepticism, Ciscomani eventually voted in support of the legislation which has cut more than 400,000 Arizonans off of food assistance and risks costing Southern Arizona hospitals $110 million per year.
Ciscomani has tried to paint Mendoza as out of touch with the district, pointing to culture war issues like her opposition to banning transgender girls from using girls’ bathrooms or participating in girls’ sports.
“Parents are fed up with being demonized by extremists like Mendoza for wanting to protect their girls,” Ciscomani said.
Ciscomani is running for his 3rd term in the US House. He will face Mendoza in the November general election.
