A high-stakes Arizona congressional race has taken a turn as a Republican incumbent raised far less money than his challenger.
U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani raised about $1.14 million for his campaign in the first three months of 2026, campaign finance reports show. His likely Democratic challenger in November’s midterms, JoAnna Mendoza, raised about $2.44 million in that period.
Ciscomani is defending his seat in Arizona’s 6th congressional district, a swath of southeast Arizona desert joined to parts of Tucson and Pinal County’s booming suburbs. It is widely considered one of the nation’s most competitive swing districts. Mendoza is the only Democratic candidate who qualified for its July 21 primary election.
Mendoza now has almost as much in the bank as Ciscomani. As of March 31, she has over $3.5 million in reserves. Ciscomani ended the first quarter with over $3.8 million thanks to prior fundraising.
Ciscomani, a former member of the Arizona-Mexico Commission under Governor Doug Ducey, is a moderate Republican first elected to Congress in 2022. Mendoza spent much of her career in the Marine Corps and on the staff of former Democratic U.S. Rep. Tom O’Halleran before running for Congress.
Their recent campaign finance reports reveal different fundraising approaches in early 2026.
Mendoza was slightly more reliant on smaller donors. She received about 34% of her direct campaign contributions from people who gave under $200 in total, the benchmark the Federal Election Commission uses to track donor information. For Ciscomani, that proportion was about 28%. Most larger donors to both candidates’ campaigns listed addresses outside Arizona.
All direct contributions from individuals made up about two-thirds of Mendoza’s fundraising haul and about one-third of Ciscomani’s.
Ciscomani relied more on political action committees, or PACs. He received over $366,000 from committees representing interests ranging from the pistachio industry to tobacco giant Altria and European aerospace firm Airbus. Mendoza’s PAC haul was lower — about $120,000 — and included donations from the campaigns of senior House Democrats Hakeem Jeffries and Katherine Clark.
Ciscomani received over $300,000 in transfers from fundraising committees aligned with House Republican leadership, a sign the GOP may see his seat as especially vulnerable, the Arizona Mirror reported.
Mendoza got almost $680,000 in transfers from several joint fundraising committees, primarily House Victory Project 2026. According to the committee’s FEC profile, it is authorized to transfer funds to several swing-district Democratic incumbents and challengers. Most of the people who donated to Mendoza via the committee in early 2026 lived in New York and Connecticut. They include executives at several financial firms. Politico characterized the group as a “Wall Street-heavy donor alliance” in 2024.
Both Ciscomani and Mendoza spent over $450,000 this quarter.
Throughout his current term in Congress, Ciscomani has stressed his nonpartisan wins for his district, such as funding for local projects, while staying relatively quiet on controversial topics like the war with Iran and ICE shootings in Minneapolis.
Mendoza’s campaign has focused on cost-of-living concerns and criticisms of Ciscomani for voting for Trump-backed policies. She has racked up endorsements from prominent voices, ranging from J Street to both current Arizona senators.
“This campaign is powered by people who are done with politics as usual. I’ve spent my life serving this country and I’m running because Arizonans deserve a representative who shows up, tells the truth, and fights for them,” Mendoza wrote in a prepared statement.
"Juan enters this important stage of the race with significantly more resources than he's had in any other cycle, a reflection of his work and reputation in the district. Mendoza will need all her money and more to hide her very out-of-touch record on the issues," Ciscomani campaign spokesman Daniel Scarpinato wrote in a statement to AZPM.
Note: this story was updated to add a statement from Ciscomani's campaign.
