PHOENIX (AP) — Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani has won reelection to a U.S. House of Representatives seat in southeastern Arizona in a rematch that pitted him against the Democrat he narrowly defeated two years ago.
Ciscomani defeated Democrat Kirsten Engel in the race for Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, which runs from Tucson in the east to the New Mexico state line and includes a stretch of the Arizona-Mexico border.
With Ciscomani’s victory, Republicans will have enough seats to control the U.S. House of Representatives, completing the party’s power grab and securing their hold on the U.S. government along with newly elected President Donald Trump.
“Now it’s time to get to work,” Ciscomani said in a statement Wednesday after Engel called for him to concede but before The Associated Press declared a winner.
“Our country faces major challenges and I am prepared to tackle these problems head on,” he said. “Our top priorities – securing our border, lowering costs and ensuring our veterans and seniors are protected and valued – are essential to the strength and stability of our district and country.”
Engel wrote on the social platform Even though we came up short, I couldn’t be more proud of the work we put in.”
Ciscomani was an aide to former Republican Governor Doug Ducey. He emigrated from Mexico as a child and calls border enforcement his top priority, but has distanced himself from Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Engel, a law professor at the University of Arizona and a former state lawmaker, has pointed out that Ciscomani in February rejected a major bipartisan border bill that would have overhauled the asylum system and given the president new powers to deport migrants when asylum applications become overwhelming .
Voter registration in the district is sharply divided among Democrats, Republicans and independents, although the Republican Party has a slight advantage.
Ciscomani won his first term in 2022 when he defeated Engel by more than 5,200 votes.
With Ciscomani’s victory in these elections, the House of Representatives delegation remains unchanged, with six Republicans and three Democrats.
