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Last night, Juan Ciscomani and Kirsten Engel met for their first televised debate in the race for Arizona’s 6th Congressional District.
If there is one phrase that best characterized Ciscomani during the debate, it would be the one used by the Arizona Republic: “on the defensive.”
Here are some key highlights from the Arizona Republic:
Republican U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani came armed with criticisms of his Democratic challenger, former state Sen. Kirsten Engel, at a televised Thursday evening debate, but he didn’t have much time to deploy them.
The freshman member of Congress, who sought to cast Engel as soft on the issues of immigration and policing, instead spent much of the half-hour debate fending off attacks from Engel over his opposition to a bipartisan immigration bill, his views on abortion, and his prior involvement with a group that seeks to restore the nation’s “Biblical principles.”
On the Border:
“We have a member of Congress who’s representing a border district, who has made border security his top issue. He gets handed, on a silver platter, a bipartisan deal to make immense progress on a top issue to all of this district. And he rejects it,” said Engel during the debate
Many Republicans turned against the bill after former President Donald Trump came out against it on social media.
“He wants photo-ops on the border and not actually solving the problem,” Engel said.
On Reproductive Freedoms:
Engel went on the offensive again when the subject turned to abortion — an issue top of mind in Arizona, which recently passed a 15-week abortion ban.
She highlighted Ciscomani’s support for a government funding bill that included a provision to restrict the by-mail distribution of mifepristone, a medication used for abortions.
“I will go to Congress to fight for abortion rights,” Engel said. “This is a total contrast to my opponent, who cheered the repeal of Roe versus Wade.”
On Ciscomani’s involvement with Patriot Academy:
Engel brought up Ciscomani’s prior involvement with a group called the Patriot Academy, which describes its mission as restoring “our Constitutional Republic and the Biblical principles that cause a Nation to thrive.”
Ciscomani served on its board of directors until recently.
DCCC Spokesperson Lauryn Fanguen:
“Kirsten Engel brilliantly deconstructed how Juan Ciscomani has left Southern Arizonans behind at every opportunity during his time in office. Ciscomani has utterly failed on everything from the border to reproductive freedoms, and his weak attempts to fend off the truth about his extreme record were deeply unconvincing at best.”
You can watch the full debate here.
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