Juan Ciscomani

  

Updated 08/04/2026
MAGA Republican Juan Ciscomani is a member of the U.S. House, representing Arizona's 6th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2023. His current term ends on January 3, 2027. Ciscomani is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Arizona's 6th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election. He was Senior Adviser to Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, and was a Republican candidate for Arizona House of Representatives, District 29, 2008. Ciscomani has declared himself for re-election in the 2026 election.

-- SUMMATION --
 
During his tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06) has largely focused his legislative efforts on veterans' affairs, border security, and healthcare. While he has not been a primary sponsor of major legislation explicitly targeting the LGBTQIA+ community, he has supported several Republican-led measures that advocacy groups argue are detrimental to LGBTQIA+ rights.  (ref 1)  (ref 2)
 
Voting Record and Committee Actions
 
Ciscomani's primary impact on the LGBTQIA+ community has been through his voting record and committee assignments:  (ref)
 
  • Defunding LGBTQ+ Services (2023): As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, Ciscomani voted for amendments to fiscal year 2024 spending bills that eliminated funding for community projects specifically serving LGBTQIA+ people. These projects included transitional housing for LGBTQ+ youth and senior services.
  • Support for the "Save Women's Sports Act": Like many in his caucus, he has consistently supported legislation such as H.R. 734, which seeks to ban transgender girls and women from participating in school athletic programs that align with their gender identity.
  • Opposition to the Equality Act: Ciscomani has generally aligned with the Republican majority in opposing the Equality Act (H.R. 5/S. 5), which would provide federal non-discrimination protections for LGBTQIA+ individuals in housing, employment, and public accommodations.
Broad Legislative Support
 
Ciscomani's support for "Parental Rights" legislation also intersects with LGBTQIA+ concerns:
 
  • Parents Bill of Rights Act: He supported measures that mandate schools to notify parents about changes in a student's gender identity or name. Advocates argue these requirements can lead to the "forced outing" of vulnerable youth, potentially compromising their safety.
Ciscomani's public profile is less centered on social "culture war" issues and more on economic and security priorities, though his voting record remains consistently aligned with conservative stances on LGBTQIA+ legislation.
 
Juan Ciscomani's political career has been characterized by sharp partisan criticism and a series of ethics-related accusations, particularly as he entered a highly competitive 2026 reelection cycle. Unlike Steve Montenegro, Ciscomani’s controversies primarily stem from his voting record, campaign associations, and past organizational ties rather than personal scandals.  (ref)
 
Campaign and Associate Controversies
 
  • Association with Tony Gonzales: In early 2026, Ciscomani faced intense criticism for his close relationship with Texas Congressman Tony Gonzales, whom he had previously referred to as a "bestie" and "brother". After reports surfaced regarding Gonzales’s involvement in a workplace affair and a subsequent tragedy involving a staffer, Democratic groups targeted Ciscomani for refusing to join calls for Gonzales's resignation and for accepting $30,000 in campaign contributions from him.
  • Patriot Academy Affiliation: Critics have frequently pointed to Ciscomani's past role as a founder of the Arizona chapter of the Patriot Academy. Opponents highlight the group's radical platform, which includes advocating for a complete rewrite of the U.S. Constitution and a total ban on abortion without exceptions for rape or incest.  (ref 1)  (ref 2)  (ref 3)
Legislative and Policy Backlash
 
  • The "One Big Beautiful Bill" (OBBA) Vote: A significant portion of the local controversy surrounding Ciscomani in 2025 and 2026 involves his support for President Trump’s major legislative package, the OBBA. Protesters have regularly gathered at his Tucson office, arguing that the bill’s $700 billion in projected Medicaid cuts directly betrays his "moderate" campaign promises to protect healthcare access for Southern Arizona's vulnerable populations.
  • Healthcare Messaging ("The Grinch"): In late 2025, his opposition to extending Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits led to a high-profile "Grinch" mobile billboard campaign in downtown Tucson, portraying him as a figure who "stole healthcare" from his constituents.
  • Constituent Access Complaints: Throughout 2025 and early 2026, advocacy groups and constituents have alleged that Ciscomani’s office has been unresponsive, claiming they were repeatedly denied meetings to discuss his budget votes.  (ref 1)  (ref 2)  (ref 3)
Ethical Complaints
 
  • Campaign Finance Disclosures: Like his contemporary Steve Montenegro, Ciscomani has faced scrutiny over campaign finance. Complaints filed in 2026 alleged he failed to properly disclose specific donor-related expenditures and benefited from "dark money" groups while simultaneously publicly questioning federal spending transparency.  (ref 1)  (ref 2)
Want A Town Hall? Pay Up!
"One of Juan Ciscomani’s reelection ads ends with “I don’t work for Washington. I work for you.” He and his supporters tell us that he works hard for this district and is always available for constituent meetings. That he is an honest and grateful civil servant who wants to help everyone in his district. His weekly emails communicate how busy he is working to deliver for our district. But a growing group of his constituents feels differently about our congressman. There are letters to the editor in the Arizona Daily Star from writers expressing their frustration with Ciscomani. Some people complain that calls and emails to his office are ignored. There is a sense that Ciscomani avoids constituents and doesn’t want to hold a town hall. At the same time, his Facebook account is full of posts about meetings with Republican clubs, prayer breakfasts, and hosting visitors. A detailed review of Ciscomani’s posts reveals that he frequently meets with industry members and lobbyists. During the ten days between July 23 and August 1, he had four meetings with representatives of companies and business groups that donated to his campaign. The list includes:"
Aug. 6, 2026
Ciscomani Says He’s Protecting Arizona’s Girls. His Donor List Says Otherwise
"On Monday, the House Ethics Committee recommended that Rep. Chuck Edwards be censured. The bipartisan panel found the North Carolina Republican engaged in “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers” — a years-long pattern that, according to the committee’s report, included jewelry worth more than $1,000, designer purses, guns, shoes, flowers, a laptop, a cell phone, and repeated invitations to one-on-one dinners. Edwards, the committee wrote, “seemed to believe that by avoiding inappropriate physical touch … he had immunized himself from such a charge. That is not the case.” The full House votes on censure when members return August 31. Rep. Juan Ciscomani of Arizona’s 6th District is sitting on more than $8,000 of Chuck Edwards’ money. He has not given it back."
Aug. 4, 2026
Ciscomani Ad Falsely Claims Mendoza Called Parents "Toxic"
"A new ad from Arizona Rep. Juan Ciscomani falsely claims that Democrat JoAnna Mendoza called parents in her district “toxic.” The ad features a mother from Tucson expressing concern about transgender student athletes competing with her daughters. The mother alleges that Mendoza opposes a ban on transgender kids participating in school sports before adding, “and she even called parents like me toxic.” The claim appears to stem from remarks Mendoza made during a 2020 state Senate candidate forum. She described proposed legislation banning transgender girls and women from competing on teams matching their gender identity as “toxic,” but she never applied that label to parents or others who supported the proposal."
Jul. 27, 2026
The Great American State Fair Is A Failure. Juan Ciscomani Thinks It’s Great.
"Before our representative, Juan Ciscomani, headed home from Washington, DC, he posted an entry on his Facebook account that highlighted what he thought was the best thing in Washington: The Great American State Fair. We will never know whether he thought that the fair was great, or whether he needed to attend to help with the idea that the event was crowded, but it didn’t seem to work. Most of us have attended a fair or a festival, and we know what to expect. Tucson Meet Yourself - so many food booths it’s hard to decide what to get, some arts and crafts, and three stages of dancers and performers. A county fair - farm animals, Best-of exhibits, carnival rides, evening concerts, and lots of fried food offerings. Tucson Rodeo - competitions and good food. The marquee celebration at the National Mall, the Great American State Fair, might have been a great combo of events with a lot of entertainment and food that would attract thousands of visitors every day. Instead, we witnessed a flop: a giant space of the National Mall, a single Ferris wheel, two rows of columns, a small-scale replica of the Triumphal Arch, and few visitors."
Jul. 9, 2026
With SNAP Cuts, Ciscomani's Big, Bad Vote Is Coming Back To Haunt Him
"A year ago, Republicans celebrated the passage of H.R. 1. It was a tax cut mainly for the well-to-do paid for by cutting services to the people who are telling pollster after pollster they are struggling like never before. Now the cuts are hitting home. That's trouble for Ciscomani because he just keeps going strolling arm-in-arm with President Donald Trump toward an electoral cliff. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program (forever known as "food stamps") was cut by more than $100 billion dollars. In Pima County, 77,000 SNAP recipients have been kicked off the program. More cuts are coming to Medicaid after the election. More than 7 percent of all Pima County residents lost their benefits to pay for tax cuts that mainly benefit the rich."
June 12, 2026
An Arizona Congressman’s Ties To Three Disgraced Lawmakers
"US Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Tucson) is under fire for accepting thousands in campaign donations from three lawmakers accused of sexual harassment and domestic violence. His campaign has not returned the money. Ciscomani, who represents Arizona’s 6th Congressional District — a key district Republicans must hold onto to maintain their House majority — accepted about $43,000 from political action committees (PACs) linked to Reps. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.), Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), and Max Miller (R-Ohio). "
May 27, 2026
Juan Ciscomani’s District Is Paying The Price For The Iran War
"For families in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, the Iran war isn’t some abstract foreign policy debate. It’s hundreds of dollars more every month for gas, groceries, and basic necessities. And Rep. Juan Ciscomani has no answer for why his constituents should pay it."
May 3, 2026
Arizona Republicans In Congress Vote For Bill That Would Make It Harder To Vote
"Only about half of Americans have a passport, which on average costs $130, and millions of Americans don’t have readily available access to proof of citizenship paperwork. That’s why advocacy groups are worried this new legislation risks disenfranchising millions of voters, particularly married women and LGBTQ+ people whose names often do not match their birth certificate, and voters of color, who are more likely to lack access to these documents. The legislation could also make it harder for Arizona’s Native Americans communities to cast a ballot. While the legislation allows voters to use tribal IDs, not all Arizona tribes offer tribal IDs. For Native Americans in rural Arizona communities, obtaining a birth certificate in the event the paperwork is lost or stolen can serve as another barrier. Despite its risks, Republican Reps. Andy Biggs, David Schweikert, Abe Hama, Paul Gosar, Eli Crane, and Juan Ciscomani voted in favor of the legislation."
Feb. 17, 2026
AZ Democrats Criticize Trump's VA Cuts, While Ciscomani Is Silent
"Trump administration plan to cut up to 35,000 unfilled VA positions drew criticism from Arizona Democrats this week. The news of the job cuts, first revealed by the Washington Post on Dec. 13, brought condemnation from Arizona’s two senators – both of whom are veterans – as well as Southern Arizona’s Democratic U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva. The office of GOP Southern Arizona U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani’s office did not respond to the Tucson Sentinel’s repeated questions about the cuts."
Dec. 19, 2025

Arizona Republicans Vote To Take Healthcare, Food Aid Away From Constituents
"Arizona Republicans in the US House on Thursday voted to pass a budget proposal that cuts roughly $1 trillion from healthcare and food aid in order to help fund tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans.
The so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” cuts Medicaid by at least $698 billion, putting hundreds of thousands of Arizonans at risk of losing their health care, and makes another $300 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Roughly 1 million Arizonans rely on SNAP to put food on the table, and many of them could lose their benefits under the budget."

[ . . . ]

"US Republican Juan Ciscomani of Tucson, who co-signed a letter to GOP leadership asking for no cuts to Medicaid, also supported the legislation, voting to pass it even as it is estimated to throw over 28,000 people in his district off Medicaid, according to the Center for American Progress, a liberal thinktank."
May 22, 2025
Rep. Ciscomani Votes To Cut Medicaid After Saying He’d Protect It
"US Rep. Juan Ciscomani voted last week to pass a federal budget despite opposition from Tucson voters, the Arizona business community, and himself. Included in the most recent budget resolution are orders to cut nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid over the course of a decade in order to subsidize a billionaire tax cut."
Mar. 4, 2025
Local Opinion: Ciscomani, Patriot Academy Pose Extreme Risks For Sixth District
"Juan Ciscomani is a candidate for the U.S. Congress from Arizona’s Sixth Congressional District. Though he presents himself as a family man with strong community values, the reality is much darker and more dangerous. Among his other extremist associations, Ciscomani founded the Arizona Chapter of a Christian Nationalist group called the Patriot Academy, and he has spent most of his adult life on its board of directors."
Aug. 23, 2024
Kirsten Engel Slams Juan Ciscomani Over Links To Patriot Academy, A Christian Nationalist Group, As Arizona Congressional Race Simmers
"Tucson Congressman Juan Ciscomani, who enjoys a reputation as a relatively moderate Republican, has long been active with a group that promotes the goal of Christians stewarding the nation’s morality through “biblical citizenship.” [ . . . ] "Frank Pavone, a former Catholic priest who founded the anti-abortion group Priests for Life, sits on Patriot Academy’s board of advisers. He was defrocked in 2022 and is known for, among other things, placing an aborted fetus on the altar two days before the 2016 presidential election to show support for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton. Patriot Academy frequently collaborates with Turning Point USA – which hosted Trump’s Phoenix rally in June – and its founder Charlie Kirk. Kirk bused protestors to the Jan. 6 rally that turned into a mob attack on the U.S. Capitol and, like Barton, campaigns for America to be overtly Christian."
Jun. 25, 2024
"US Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Tucson (above), with the four Arizona Supreme Court justices who ruled to reinstate an 1864 abortion ban. (From left to right) Justices John R. Lopez IV, Clint Block, James P. Beene, and Kathryn H. King were all appointed while Ciscomani was responsible for vetting judicial nominees from 2015 - 2022. Design by Francesca Daly / Courier."

Photo: AP/Mariam Zuhaib, azcourts.gov and coppercourier.com
 

"the first-term congressman’s recent characterization of the ban’s reinstatement as a “disaster for women” marks a departure from his work before he was elected to the US House. Prior to elected public service, Ciscomani worked as a high-level advisor in former Gov. Doug Ducey’s administration for nearly a decade, meeting with him weekly and one of four staffers tasked with vetting judicial nominees before the judges were reviewed by the governor.
 

All four of the justices who voted to reinstate the 1864 ban were appointed while Ciscomoni worked in this capacity. A fifth sitting justice, Bill Montgomery, was also appointed by Ducey but recused himself from the abortion ban ruling because his extreme bias against abortion healthcare was made public."
May 9, 2024
Rep. Juan Ciscomani Worked For Governor Who Made Arizona Water Crisis Worse
"Ciscomani has accepted $4,800 from a lobbyist who sold out an Arizona water resource."
Jan. 19, 2024
White House Warns 21 Million Americans At Risk Of Losing Medicaid Under GOP Proposal
"As many as 21 million Americans could be at risk of losing their Medicaid coverage under the House GOP’s work requirement proposal, according to a new Biden administration analysis"
2 GOP Congressional Candidates Oppose DC Big Spending, But Took COVID-19 Relief Money
"Eli Crane and Juan Ciscomani, two Arizona Republicans running for the U.S. House of Representatives, have staked out campaign positions that Washington spends too much money. But both took money from the federal Paycheck Protection Program. Crane, a Democratic, is running as a Republican in Arizona's sprawling 2nd Congressional District, which includes northeastern Arizona. Ciscomani, a senior adviser to Gov. Doug Ducey, is hoping to represent Arizona's 6th Congressional District, which includes part of Tucson and much of Cochise County."
Jun. 30, 2022

Twitter, June 4, 2022
Will Juan Ciscomani Condemn Wendy Rogers For Her Hateful, Violent Rhetoric?
"Will AZ-06 GOP candidate Juan Ciscomani condemn Rogers’ hate speech, or does he agree with his former boss Gov. Doug Ducey that a white supremacist is “still better than her opponent, (Democrat) Felicia French?”"
Mar. 3, 2022

Source: Google, accessed Apr. 3, 2022
Juan Ciscomani, A Trumper And Ducey Crony, Is Wrong For Congress In CD2
Juan Ciscomani, an advisor to Governor Doug Ducey, is the leading Republican candidate vying for his party’s nomination to be the US Congressman for Southern Arizona in Tucson’s CD2. “We don’t need a Ducey crony representing Southern Arizona in Congress,” says Senator Kirsten Engel, running for Congress in Tucson’s CD2 But is he the right person for the position? Let us see where he stands on the issues.
Oct. 27, 2021
  
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