Arizona GOP Rep. Juan Ciscomani wins re-election, fending off challenge from Democrat Kirsten Engel

PHOENIX — GOP Rep. Juan Ciscomani has won the rematch with Democrat Kirsten Engel for Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, 49.5% to 48.2%, with 86% of the vote counted, Decision Desk projects.

Ciscomani is a freshman Republican who sits on the prestigious Appropriations Committee, as well as Veterans Affairs. He previously worked for Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s administration.

Engel teaches law at the University of Arizona and is a former state representative.

Ciscomani narrowly defeated Engel in 2022 with 50.7% of the vote — just a 1.4-point margin. The Republican’s victory at the time flipped the seat red with Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick’s retirement.

As the district is along the southern border, the issue came to the forefront numerous times throughout the race. The Tucson Sector saw more than 463,000 migrant encounters in fiscal year 2024 alone, per US Customs and Border Protection data.

Voter registration in this toss-up district slightly favored Republicans, and it includes parts of Tucson, surrounding suburbs and a significant portion of rural southeastern Arizona. The district sits partially in the more densely populated and bluer Pima County, along with nearby rural counties.

Arizona presented relatively strong election results for Republicans, as Rep. David Schweikert also retained his seat, President-Elect Donald Trump won the state’s 11 electoral votes and the state legislature maintained its Republican majorities. However, GOP Senate nominee Kari Lake is projected to lose her race to Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego.

A target of both parties’ campaign committees and other outside groups, this expensive race generated more than $20 million in ad spending, per Open Secrets.

Shortly after Decision Desk HQ called Ciscomani’s race, the desk then projected that Republicans would maintain control of the House of Representatives at exactly 218 seats so far.

The congressional seat is one of the last few in the nation to be called, as some in California are amongst the last in the country for the results to become clear. The projection comes as chatter looms over Republicans in both chambers about who will lead next, including whether Speaker Mike Johnson will continue to serve in his role.