By Madeline Nguyen and Miguel Ambriz | Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Two of the most competitive congressional races are in Arizona, where Democrats are trying to unseat seven-term Rep. David Schweikert of Fountain Hills and first-term Rep. Juan Ciscomani of Tucson.

These elections represent one of the best opportunities for Democrats to win seats in their attempt to flip control of the House, where Republicans hold a slim majority.

Ciscomani’s race was a rematch against former state Sen. Kirsten Engel, who fell short by 1.5 percentage points two years ago.

Both contests were among the most expensive in the country, each attracting about $35 million at last count, according to data from campaign finance watchdog OpenSecrets.

1st district: David Schweikert against Amish Shah

Schweikert’s Democratic challenger, Amish Shah — an emergency room doctor who served in the Legislature for five years — surpassed the incumbent president $5.7 million to $3.9 million through Oct. 24 in his bid for the Phoenix area’s 1st District, according to campaign finance reports.

Each suffered more than $10 million in attack ads from outside groups.

Republican consultant Jaime Molera said the spending reached “such a significant threshold” that it ultimately generated only “noise” for voters. He credited Arizona Democrats for being “more organized and much better funded” this fall.

Elected in 2010, Schweikert survived a close race in 2022. He won by just 3,000 votes, less than a percentage point. Six Democrats lined up for the primary for a chance to take on him this year.

Democrats have criticized the deeply conservative Schweikert as out of step with a district where, according to secretary of state data, independents make up a third of the electorate and Democrats make up 27 percent.

Schweikert has long focused on fiscal responsibility and emphasized calls to reduce the national debt and lower inflation.

Shah, an emergency room doctor at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, emphasized abortion rights and highlighted his reputation for working across partisan lines in the House of Representatives, even when doing so disappointed fellow Democrats. He resigned from the Legislature in February to focus on his run for Congress.

He also pledged to secure the border, boost the economy, make health care more affordable and promote education.

6th District: Juan Ciscomani against Kirsten Engel

Like Schweikert voters, about a third of Ciscomani voters are independent.

Republicans, however, hold fewer advantages in the 6th District – 36% to 30% – and Engel lost only 5,200 votes two years ago.

Democrats criticized Ciscomani for his opposition to abortion rights and Proposition 139 codify the right to abortion in the state constitution.

The strategy was clearly aimed at increasing Democratic turnout and encouraging Republican women to abandon it, Molera said.

Ciscomani is known as a relatively bipartisan member of a GOP conference controlled by extremists. He ran in favor of securing the border and repairing the economy and attacked Engel for a 2022 comment rejecting the idea that the U.S.-Mexico border was in crisis.

The focus on border security and the economy was wise, Molera said, and being “perceived as a more centrist Republican helped him a lot.” But, he added, Engel’s financial support has had “a huge impact in helping it become as competitive as it is.”

Engel, a University of Arizona law professor who served in both houses of the Legislature before turning to Congress, paid Ciscomani $7.6 million to $6.2 million, according to OpenSecrets.

Another $22 million was invested in the race by outside groups, split about evenly between each camp.

She focused on reproductive rights and water rights and accused Ciscomani of being far less moderate than he wants voters to believe – citing his opposition to abortion rights and his affiliation with the Patriot Academy. It is a Christian nationalist group that seeks to “train citizens to understand and influence government policy with a biblical worldview.”

Engel gained support from abortion rights supporters. She has also been supported by groups such as March for Our Lives that seek to combat gun violence.