Arizona Democrat Kirsten Engel announced Wednesday that she would seek a rematch against Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani in the 6th Congressional District, a constituency in the Tucson area that she came unexpectedly close to winning in 2022 even after national Democratic groups canceled their planned spending. Engel, who is a former state senator and environmental lawyer, is the first serious candidate to challenge Ciscomani in a contest that could be key to a future Democratic majority.
Ciscomani and Engel competed last time to succeed Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, who announced her retirement months before Arizona’s Independent Redistricting Commission drew up a new sprawling 6th District that Biden would have carried by a tiny 49.3-49.2 margin—a sizable drop from Biden’s 55-44 win in Kirkpatrick’s old 2nd District. Indeed, none of the nation’s new 435 House districts hosted a tighter 2020 presidential contest than this.