By Madeline Nguyen and Miguel Ambriz | cronkite news

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

The races were one of the best opportunities for Democrats to pick up seats as they try to regain control of the House, where Republicans have held a razor-thin 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 races 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 vs. Amish Shah

Schweikert’s Democratic rival, Amish Shah, an emergency room doctor who worked in the Legislature for five years, surpassed the holder Between $5.7 million and $3.9 million through Oct. 24 in his bid for the Phoenix-area 1st District, according to campaign finance reports.

They each endured more than $10 million in attack ads from outside groups.

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

Elected in 2010, Schweikert survived a difficult situation in 2022. He won by just 3,000 votes, less than 1 percentage point. Six Democrats lined up in the primary for a chance to face him this year.

Democrats criticized the deeply conservative Schweikert for being out of step with a district where, according to data from the Secretary of State, independents represent a third of the electorate and Democrats 27%.

Schweikert has long focused on fiscal responsibility and emphasized calls to reduce the country’s debt and reduce inflation.

Shah, an emergency room doctor at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, highlighted abortion rights and emphasized his reputation for working across partisan lines in the state House even as that disappointed his fellow Democrats. He resigned from the Legislature in February to focus on his congressional bid.

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

District 6: Juan Ciscomani vs. Kirsten Engel

Like Schweikert’s voters, around a third of Ciscomani’s voters are independents.

However, Republicans have less of an advantage in the 6th District (36%-30%) and Engel fell short by just 5,200 votes two years ago.

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

The strategy was clearly intended to increase Democratic turnout and encourage Republican women to leave, Molera said.

Ciscomani is known as a relatively bipartisan member of a hardline-controlled Republican conference. He ran to secure the border and fix the economy and attacked Engel for a 2022 comment in which he rejected the idea that the US-Mexico border was in crisis.

The focus on border security and the economy was smart, Molera said, and being “seen as a more centrist Republican has helped him a lot.” But, he said, Engel’s financial backing had “a huge impact in helping her be as competitive as she is.”

Engel, a University of Arizona law professor who served in both chambers of the Legislature before turning her sights to Congress, outraised Ciscomani by between $7.6 million and $6.2 million. according to OpenSecrets.

Another $22 million came rushing in from outside groups, split roughly evenly between each side.

He emphasized reproductive rights and the right to water and accused Ciscomani of being much 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 “empower citizens to understand and influence government policy with a biblical worldview.”

Engel won the support of abortion rights supporters. He also received the support of groups such as “March for Our Lives” that seek to stop armed violence.