Scoop: GOP Rep. Ciscomani passes on run for Arizona governor
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Rep. Juan Ciscomani speaks at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on June 4, 2024. Photo: Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images.
Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.) will run for reelection to Congress rather than mount a bid for governor in 2026, his campaign spokesperson told Axios.
Why it matters: Dozens of House members are eyeing potential runs for higher office, but the House GOP's bare-thin majority next year is causing some of its members to rethink their ambitions.
- Attendance will be a critical factor for both parties when it comes to contentious party-line votes on marquee items in President-elect Trump's agenda.
What they're saying: "Juan Ciscomani will not run for Arizona governor in 2026," his campaign spokesperson Daniel Scarpinato told Axios in a statement.
- "His priority is 100% set on representing the people of Arizona's 6th Congressional District in Congress and once again earning the support of the district in 2026."
- Ciscomani was considered one of the House GOP's star recruits in the 2022 cycle and has won twice in a battleground district, leading to speculation of a possible run for higher office.
- House Majority PAC, House Democrats' main super PAC, marked Ciscomani's district as a "potential open seat" in its list of 2026 targets.
State of play: The Arizona governor's race could be one of the most closely watched in the country as Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) seeks reelection in a state that voted for President-elect Trump by 5.5 percentage points last month.
- Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes has flirted with a Democratic primary challenge against Hobbs.
- Former Arizona Board of Regents member Karrin Taylor Robson, businessman Tom Hatten, Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee and state Sen. Jake Hoffman have all been floated as potential Republican candidates.
Zoom out: A number of other relatively young House members who could be competitive candidates for higher office are also ruling it out, Axios has learned.
- Reps. Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio) and Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) won't run for Vice President-elect JD Vance's Senate seat, according to Sykes' office and a statement from Brown.
- Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) told Axios he won't mount another run for governor in 2026.
- Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) will not run for governor in 2026, according to a source familiar with his thinking.
- Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) is not considering a run for Senate or governor and his "focused on and happy serving [Northeast] GA in the House," a spokesperson said.
