JoAnna Mendoza flips Arizona’s toss-up 6th Congressional District seat

Democratic Marine veteran JoAnna Mendoza defeated incumbent Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) in Arizona’s toss-up 6th Congressional District.Mendoza won 53% of the vote compared to Ciscomani, who received 44.9%, according to the Associated Press.Mendoza’s win marks a key victory for national Democrats who targeted the district as they seek to retake the House of Representatives, and strikes a blow to another incumbent GOP congressman. Mendoza received a big push from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which added her to its hallmark “red-to-blue” swing district target program. She was backed by both of Arizona’s senators, Sens. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ), while Ciscomani had endorsements from heavy-hitting Republicans such as President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).In the southeast corner of the state, Arizona’s 6th District has been one of the tightest districts in the country over the past several years. Ciscomani has represented the district since 2023, winning in 2022 by 1.5 points and in 2024 by 2.5 points. The district favored Trump by just 0.7% in 2024.With the competitive nature of the district, both Ciscomani and Mendoza had fairly bipartisan messages on their campaign websites.Ciscomani highlighted several independent rankings that pinned him as the most “effective” and most “bipartisan” lawmaker in Arizona, while pointing out work he has done to lower taxes, secure funding for the district, expand rural healthcare, and support Alzheimer’s research funding. Mendoza, on the other hand, appeared to reach across the aisle with her platform priorities around public safety and securing the Southern border.Mendoza campaigned against Trump’s tariffs, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and taxpayer funds going to endless foreign wars in the Middle East. She stuck to much of the Democratic affordability playbook, talking mainly about the economy and veterans’ issues as a retired Marine.Ciscomani hit Mendoza as too “extremist,” while pointing to his record on public safety and his work in helping pass the tax cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as he vied to retain his seat. Ciscomani also notably skipped Trump’s October rally in Bullhead City, Arizona, held just weeks before the general election.2026 MIDTERM ELECTIONS LIVE UPDATES: LATEST NEWS, RESULTS AND ANALYSISMendoza out-fundraised Ciscomani per FEC filings as of the end of the third quarter, with $1.5 million in cash on hand while Ciscomani had over $926,800.Mendoza led by close, single-digit margins in the limited polling on the race, while also leading Ciscomani in the Polymarket prediction market odds.