做厙勛圖

NBC and Decision Desk HQ called the race for Mendoza early Thursday afternoon, with 53% of the vote over Ciscomani���s 45%. Mendoza has held on to her eight-point lead since late Tuesday night.

Her win flips another highly competitive seat in the House of Representatives for Democrats, who swept competitive districts across the country Tuesday night and took control of both chambers of Congress.

Ciscomani called Mendoza on Thursday to concede the race and congratulate her, she wrote in a social media post.

���I appreciate his graciousness and his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition,��� she wrote.

The opponents both want the district to succeed, despite their differences, the statement continued.

���Elections are about choices. Governing is about service. While we may disagree on policy and politics, our shared responsibility is to the people of Southern Arizona,��� it reads.

As news outlets called the race early Thursday, Ciscomani thanked supporters in a statement on social media shortly after 2 p.m. Thursday, calling the last four years ���the honor of my lifetime.���

���As an immigrant and the son of a bus driver, I believe deeply in our country and the promise of the American Dream. My story is only possible in this great nation, and I���ll never stop fighting for the values that make the United States of America the best nation in the world. I am incredibly proud of what we accomplished together. I came to Congress with a commitment to serve, put people over politics, and get things done. That commitment has never wavered and it never will.���

Ciscomani did not immediately respond to requests for comment on whether he plans to run for office again.

Meanwhile, Democrats and critics of Ciscomani celebrated Mendoza���s victory on social media.

���It���s a repudiation of Trump, and all the Republicans in Congress who were cowed by Trump,��� said Carol Evans, Advocacy Chair for the Legislative 18 Democrats. The group has protested outside of Ciscomani���s office on Swan Road virtually every weekend since March 2025, she said.

���He (Ciscomani) was absolutely Trump���s rubber stamp. It was very clear, and we wanted to highlight that every week to the public,��� she said.

Mendoza declared an early victory Tuesday night even though the race remained too close to call for days.

She told supporters Democrats have a ���huge, huge task ahead of them��� in a hotel ballroom on 做厙勛圖���s north side Tuesday night.

���I want to see our members of Congress working long hours,��� she said. ���We did it, I love you all.���

The Chair of the Democratic National Committee, Ken Martin, congratulated Mendoza in a statement shortly after the race was called.

���In the House, JoAnna will continue this fight and work to protect healthcare, bring down the cost of gas and groceries, maintain safe communities, invest in childcare, support veterans, and protect public lands,��� he said.

This was Mendoza���s first run for federal office. Her campaign messaging criticized Ciscomani���s endorsement of the Trump Administration���s major cuts to healthcare, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, clean energy investments, and tax cuts for billionaires.

Her campaign also drew heavily on her experience as a single mom, and her childhood in rural Eloy, where she said she relied on social welfare programs like the Arizona Healthcare Cost Containment System, and SNAP.

Ads also paid particular attention to veterans��� reliance on those programs, while highlighting Mendoza���s 20-year military career.

Running a solidly moderate campaign, she retreated from several further-left stances she took in her 2020 campaign for an Arizona State Senate seat, the Arizona Republic reported, which she defended as a normal strategy candidates use when they prepare for new audiences.

Meanwhile, Ciscomani���s campaign honed in on those previous comments Mendoza made during her 2020 race, especially on transgender children in sports and supporting taxpayer-funded

In a district where registered voters are relatively split into thirds between Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, she avoided culture war issues in her campaign messaging, and told the Star in September both parties are guilty of giving them too much attention.

���I have no time for some of the culture war stuff that you know both sides are engaging in. It's about lowering costs. It's about making sure communities are safe,��� she said.

She also accepted the characterization of a moderate Democrat, but said her politics go beyond a label.

���I don���t think it���s always as black and white as people would like it to be, people are complicated human beings, and I always just try to do what I think is right and what is best for the people,��� she said in September.

In a border district, Mendoza said she supports a border wall in some places where ���it makes sense,��� as long as it doesn���t encroach on tribal territories, she said at a September debate.

���Everyone who keeps us safe, including law enforcement, deserve our respect. Both sides are getting this wrong,��� she said in one campaign ad titled ���Protect.���

The Pima County Elections Department had about 67,000 ballots left to process when tabulation resumed about 11 a.m. Thursday, said Mark Evans, director of county communications.