Arizona Republicans Rep. David Schweikert and Juan Ciscomani have defeated their Democrat challengers and won their respective races, the Associated Press projected on Monday.
AP called the race for Schweikert when 99 percent of the ballots were counted, leaving the Republican congressman a narrow lead of roughly 3,000 votes over his Democrat challenger Jevin Hodge, a local activist.
The Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee hoped Hodge would have flipped Schweikert’s seat, as the race was added to their “Red to Blue” program in June.
Although he currently represents Arizona’s first congressional district, Schweikert ran in Arizona’s sixth congressional district due to redistricting. Schweikert won despite his Democrat opponent out-fundraising him.
As Business Insider reported:
According to OpenSecrets, Schweikert has raised $1.6 million, spent $1.5 million, and has $244,577 on hand, as of September 30. His opponent, Hodge, has raised $1.9 million, spent $1 million, and has $855,517 cash on hand, as of September 30.
Schweikert will go on to serve a seventh term in Congress.
The Associated Press also called the race for Republican Juan Ciscomani, who will represent the people of Arizona’s sixth congressional district.
Ciscomani is a first-generation American who served as an adviser to Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R). Ciscomani defeated Arizona Democrat state senator Kirsten Engel, who previously served in Arizona’s House of Representatives.
The Arizona legislature extended the newly-drawn sixth district to cover more GOP-friendly areas after President Joe Biden defeated former President Donald Trump by 11 points in 2020 under the district’s old borders.
Ciscomani’s victory flipped the district red, as the seat opened up after Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ) announced her retirement.
Ciscomani thanked his supporters, family, and mentor Ducey in a statement after his victory on Monday.
“In the best country in the world where anything is possible, I am now honored to represent my hometown in the U.S. Congress. I am ready to serve, find solutions for our district’s challenges, & be a strong independent voice for our community,” Ciscomani said.
With Schweikert and Ciscomani’s victories, the GOP inched closer to securing the House majority. As of Monday night, the AP has called 217 House races for Republicans, leaving the party needing just one more seat to clinch the majority.
Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jdixonhamilton@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter.
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