JoAnna Mendoza targets Trump ally Juan Ciscomani in key Arizona House race

JoAnna Mendoza is trying to unseat Juan Ciscomani, one of President Donald Trump’s leading allies in Arizona, in a House race Democrats see as central to their effort to regain the chamber’s majority.

Ciscomani, a Mexican-born US citizen, first won his seat in 2022 and won re-election in 2024. He is seeking a third term in the competitive 6th District, which includes parts of southern Arizona along the Mexican border and the Tucson area.

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This is a congressional seat Democrats want to win and Republicans cannot afford to lose.

“This is a congressional seat Democrats want to win and Republicans cannot afford to lose,” political analyst Michael O’Neil told EFE. He described the district as one of a small number of House seats that either party could capture and said polling points to a strong midterm election for Democrats, increasing the pressure on Ciscomani.

Ciscomani won 50% of the vote in 2024 against 47.5% for his Democratic opponent. Trump carried the district by a much narrower margin, defeating Kamala Harris 49.8% to 49.1%. Ciscomani had won with 50.7% in 2022. Those close results have made the district a Democratic priority.

Ciscomani has again received the endorsement of the National Border Patrol Council. He has also made his immigrant background and support for Trump administration policies part of his political profile.

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In 2024, President Trump managed to win an important share of the Latino vote in Arizona and across the country, but now there appears to be regret among them that could be reflected at the polls.

Mendoza, a Marine Corps veteran and the daughter of farmworkers, is focusing her campaign on the cost of living, rising food prices and rents. She also supports what she calls a “realistic” solution to immigration.

O’Neil said Trump won a substantial share of Arizona’s Latino vote in 2024, but suggested some voters may now regret that choice. Lisa Magaña, a political analyst and professor at Arizona State University, said Latinos who supported Trump did so over the economy and quality of life, not necessarily immigration. She added that immigration has become a major issue for Arizona Latinos, though not because they necessarily want greater border security or support a border wall.

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Latinos who voted for Trump in 2024 voted for the economy and for a better quality of life, not necessarily for immigration, especially here in Arizona.