Democrat JoAnna Mendoza unseated Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani in Southern Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, rated as one of the most competitive in the country
The Associated Press called the race for Mendoza at 12:38 p.m. on Thursday. Her victory hands Democrats another House seat after Tuesday’s wipeout where Republicans lost control of Congress.
Pima County still has thousands of ballots pending, and is expected to finish counting by Monday. But Mendoza continues to lead by 25,000 votes, according to the updated unofficial results.
“We’re standing here tonight because we have a huge, huge task ahead of us. Step one, we’ve won, so goodbye Mr. Ciscomani,” she told cheering supporters on Tuesday.
Ciscomani thanked his supporters on Tuesday night after the first batch of votes dropped, showing his Democratic opponent with an early lead, according to unofficial results. He urged supporters not to worry, citing experience with his two previous two elections.
“We’ve been through this cycle before. It’s up and down, it’s gonna be a close one,” he said. “It’s gonna take a few days probably to get this called.”
The district covers all of Greenlee County, parts of Pima, Pinal, Cochise, Graham counties, and includes much of eastern Tucson, as well as communities in southeastern Arizona.
Ciscomani thanked volunteers who helped with his campaign. He was joined on stage by his family as he thanked them in Spanish and English for their support.
He spoke about the importance of his background, as the first naturalized U.S. citizen from México elected to represent Arizona in the House.
“I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be in this position, being elected once, being elected twice, and now to be elected one more time,” Ciscomani said.
“This is an amazing nation that gives all the opportunities that you can get, if you’re willing to go out and get it and not play the victim card and go and be proud of who you are,” he added.
At Mendoza’s campaign party, she talked about her background as a daughter of farmworkers in Eloy, living in poverty and joining the Marine Corps in search of better opportunities.
She described how she took her 10-year-old son to the emergency room on Monday night with a swollen lymph node.
“You know what I was thinking about when I was there? I’m thinking about the parents who do not have that privilege to be able to be able to take their kids to the emergency room because they have no health insurance,” she said.
Mendoza said her family’s experience has shaped the views that she plans to take and put into action in Washington.
In a neighboring political region, Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva was winning reelection in Congressional District 7, which spans the southwestern corner of Arizona, according to unofficial results. The race was a rematch with Republican challenger Daniel Butierez. The Associated Press called the race for Grijalva at about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Grijalva, in a 2025 special election night, coasted to a resounding victory to become the first Arizona Latina elected to Congress. She filled the seat long held by her father, Raúl Grijalva, who died in March 2025.
In the closely watched District 6 race, Ciscomani and Mendoza made a final push to voters on Tuesday. They spent the day canvassing and speaking to voters at poll sites around metro Tucson.
Ciscomani visited several voting sites in the district and cast his ballot on Tuesday afternoon in Marana, joined by his parents, wife and other relatives, making his case to voters.
“At the end of the day, what you want from a government elected official is to have results,” he told reporters outside the polls. “For four years I have been demonstrating and bringing in results, the role in the Appropriations Committee, these are things that add up and that actually make a difference for our community.”
Mendoza, who voted early by mail, began her day in her hometown of Eloy, and then made her way to the Tucson metro area, campaigning with fellow Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly. She canvassed with supporters well into Tuesday afternoon.
“What we need to do is elect people who actually care about the people in their district,” Mendoza told Arizona Luminaria, “Who are actually going to take action, who are going to protect the Constitution and who are going to put a check on this administration.”
Both candidates acknowledged the possibility that the race would not be decided by Tuesday night.
Ciscomani is seeking his third term but his victory margins illustrate how competitive the district has been since it was redrawn in 2022: Republicans, Democrats and independent voters each make up about a third of the electorate.
That year, Ciscomani beat Democrat Kirsten Engel by over 5,200 votes. He won their 2024 rematch by just under 11,000 votes.
“I feel like when the district is as tight as ours, it forces everyone to get out there and try to make sense of their positions,” Ciscomani said. “Which is what we’ve done: to go out there and not only earn Republican votes, but definitely earn independent votes, and even some Democrat votes.”
Mendoza is running for office for the first time, and said she was trying to stay in the moment and not think too far ahead.
“I don’t think there’s anything that could really prepare you for this,” she said. “It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. The closest I would say is deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan.”
For many voters casting a ballot on Tuesday, deciding who to support in the congressional election was just as important as casting a vote against the opposing candidate or party.
Susan Shoemaker, an Oro Valley resident, voted Tuesday morning at the town’s public library. The registered Republican said she was motivated to vote in order to show her opposition to Democrats like Mendoza, who she felt were moving too far to the left. She voted for Ciscomani.
“I’ve met him before. I like what he stands for,” she said. “Everybody wants to lie about everybody. I feel he’s upfront.”
Michael Prochnau of Tucson said the current administration’s handling of the economy, the war in Iran, and concerns over corruption, convinced him to vote for Democrats, including Mendoza.
“Ciscomani really marches in step with the current administration, regardless of the issues,” he said. “I feel like Mendoza, while not bringing a ton of experience, I like her background, her stance on taxation and some of the immigration issues.”
In 2022, the District 6 race was called after six days. In 2024, the race was called after eight days.
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