(The Center Square) – Arizona’s Congressional District 6 race is too close to call Wednesday afternoon, with Democratic candidate Kirsten Engel leading Republican incumbent Juan Ciscomani by 4,148 votes at 93% of precincts reporting.
If Engel is able to win this election, this will give one seat in the House to Democrats in the battle for control of the lower chamber.
“It’s clear that we aren’t going to know who won this race tonight – and maybe not for several days,” reads a post on X by Engel. “We must ensure that every lawful vote is counted and the will of the voters of Arizona’s Sixth is carried out, no matter how long it takes.”
Engel is a former state legislator whose priorities for Congress include combatting the drought, protecting abortion access, strengthening Medicare and securing the Southern border.
During her time in the legislature, Engel worked on the Colorado Drought Contingency Plan, fighting for Arizona’s share of Colorado River water.
“I will fight for our fair share of the Colorado River while encouraging better management of our water across the West,” reads Engel’s website. “I will fight for Arizona to continue becoming a clean energy leader – providing good-paying jobs and lower utility bills for Arizonans, and tangible progress in reducing the climate crisis.”
In contrast, Ciscomani has prioritized using natural resources, voting to repeal clean energy tax credits. In 2023, he introduced the Copper is Critical Act which would designate copper as a critical mineral.
While Engel has fought to protect reproductive rights during her time in the legislature, Ciscomani has focused on other aspects of women’s health including early breast and cervical cancer detection and maternal and infant delivery support.
Tackling the Southern border is another major issue in Arizona. Earlier this year, Ciscomani proposed the End the Border Catastrophe Act which did not pass due to a lack of Democratic support.
“Growing threats have made the need to secure our border even more urgent,” Ciscomani said in a statement. “While I was disappointed that my effort to increase resources at our southern border was blocked, I will continue to prioritize this type of legislation as long as I am in Congress.”
Engel has advocated for the Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act which would have secured $118 billion to expand detention facilities and hired more border control agents, asylum officers and immigration judges. Ciscomani voted against this bill in the House and it did not pass through the Senate.
The control of the House of Representatives is still undecided with 48 seats yet to be called.
