AP Calls Mendoza Winner Over Ciscomani in Arizona’s 6th

Southern Arizona’s 6th Congressional District flipped to Democrats after the Associated Press on Thursday called the race for JoAnna Mendoza over Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani, AZPM and KOLD reported. KTAR said the Associated Press made the call with Mendoza leading 53% to 44.9%. KOLD said the call came around 12:30 p.m. Thursday, nearly two days after Election Day.

NBC News listed Mendoza as the projected winner with 52.8% to Ciscomani’s 45.0%, with about 91.6% of expected ballots counted. AZPM said Mendoza’s lead was about 8 percentage points when the Associated Press declared her the winner. KTAR said Libertarian Jereme Lance Peters and Green Party candidate Gary Swing were also on the ballot.

District and prior races

KTAR said the southern Arizona district includes much of eastern Tucson and parts of Pima, Pinal, Cochise, Graham and Greenlee counties and had been expected to be among the country’s most competitive House races. Ciscomani, seeking a third term after winning reelection in 2024, had won his last two races for the seat, KTAR reported. KTAR said Mendoza’s win was the second Arizona Democratic House flip of the midterms after Amish Shah.

Developing: County election offices are still processing remaining ballots; certified margins may shift slightly from the unofficial tallies used for the call.

Who Mendoza and Ciscomani are

Mendoza, a first-time candidate and the daughter of farmworkers in Eloy, served 20 years in the Navy and Marine Corps, including combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, KTAR reported. KOLD said she declared victory on Election Night and told supporters she hoped to work on veterans’ affairs, affordability and health care. Ciscomani, who became a U.S. citizen 20 years ago, had run on a bipartisan record while Democrats criticized his support for Republican fiscal legislation, according to KTAR. Mendoza raised about $10.8 million to Ciscomani’s $7.5 million through Sept. 30, with outside groups spending another $22.5 million after the primary, KTAR said, citing Federal Election Commission filings.

Sources: AZPM, KOLD, NBC News, KTAR, Associated Press