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Arizona Daily Star: Vote for Engel to keep super PAC influence out of AZ District 6 [LOCAL OPINION]
Jeri Hird Dutcher
9/11/2024
Just like in 2022, super PACs with millions of dollars are trying to buy their way into controlling Arizona District 6. These corporate and crypto giants know Juan Ciscomani will accept their millions and vote to restrict abortion rights, attack clean energy, and give tax breaks to corporations.
Kirsten Engel doesn’t take a dime from corporate contributors. She works to support freedom: Women’s freedom to choose what happens with their bodies, children’s freedom to feel safe in their schools, seniors’ freedom to live whole, happy lives after retirement, and Arizonans’ freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water.
Ciscomani and Engel are candidates for Congress in Arizona’s Congressional District 6, which covers an area including Sierra Vista, Oro Valley, Casa Grande, Marana, Vail, and Green Valley.
Ciscomani was listed as one of the most corrupt politicians running for re-election by End Citizens United (ECU), a grassroots campaign finance reform organization, in 2024.
He has taken nearly $1.3M from PAC contributions, including:
- More than $400K from the real estate industry and watched as they jacked up housing prices.
- More than $320K from Wall Street and did nothing as the companies they own price gouge Arizonans.
- More than $120K from lobbyists seeking to buy his vote.
His top contributors include real estate, leadership PACs (meaning other politicians), securities and investments, pro-Israel groups, candidate committees, Republicans/conservatives, lobbyists, insurance companies, and automotive interests.
“Representative Ciscomani’s time in Congress has been a total failure,” said ECU President Tiffany Muller. “His legislative accomplishments are non-existent, and he’s proven to be part of the problem by being a rubber stamp for Republican extremism. Instead of working to improve the lives of Arizona families, he’s been entirely focused on doing the bidding of the big donors who bought his seat for him and the corporate special interests that are funding his reelection.
Early this year, Ciscomani, who claims to fight for Arizona’s water supply, came under criticism for accepting thousands of dollars in campaign donations from a lobbyist for Saudi-owned Fondamonte Arizona.
American Journal News disclosed Ciscomani’s close relationship with the lobbyist who closed a deal for the Saudi company to extract billions of gallons of Arizona’s threatened water reserves to feed the Kingdom’s cattle during Ciscomani’s term as an advisor for international affairs “in an administration that exacerbated Arizona’s water scarcity crisis.”
In contrast, Engel’s top contributor is Tucson’s own University of Arizona. Her other main sources of support include retired individuals, Democratic and liberal organizations, women’s issues, education, lawyers and law firms, pro-Israel groups, health professionals, Leadership PACs, and business services.
If you want local interests making decisions for your home, family, and life; if you would rather keep huge corporations and MAGA politicians out of your political future; if you would prefer to keep District 6 in control of District 6, vote for Kirsten Engel on Nov. 5.
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