Since the House Democrats provided the winning margins to prevent a government shutdown on September 30, 2023, Arizona Democratic House Congressional Candidates offered their views on what transpired. In the cases of Congressional Districts (CD)One and Six, Candidates sharply criticized the Republican incumbents in those districts who either supported throwing the country into fiscal paralysis or wanted to insert repressive anti-reproductive freedom measures in the appropriation bills.
It should be noted that all but one of Arizona’s House Republicans voted to shut the government down because they would not get their way in securing draconian spending cuts that would have hurt the nation’s most vulnerable.
In Arizona CD One, both Marlene Galan-Woods and Conor O’Callaghan sharply rebuked Representative David Schweikert for going along with the fiscally irresponsible members of his own party.
Mrs. Galan-Woods relayed:
“Today, David Schweikert shouted from the mountaintops how dangerous he is. Once again, he voted with his extremist Republican colleagues to bring the government to the brink of shutdown rather than working across the aisle to benefit Americans,” Galán-Woods said. “Make no mistake — David Schweikert is a right-wing extremist. He has voted time and again to ban abortion, cut Social Security and Medicare, and critical assistance to women and children. Enough with these political games that only hurt Arizonans — we must reject him at the ballot box next year and elect someone who will fight for our right to choose, and protect our seniors, and our workers. As someone who will always put Arizona ahead of petty politics, you have my word that I will rise above the partisan fray and deliver results for our working families in Congress.”
Mr. O’Callaghan offered:
“This weekend, Democrats swooped in to save the country from a MAGA Republican shutdown. David Schweikert cozied up to the extremists once more and voted for a shutdown. Again he’s shown his true colors. This guy has got to go and I’m the candidate who is going to get that done next November.”
Mr. O’Callaghan also commented on the need to aid Ukraine which was left out of the 45-Day Continuing Resolution, stating:
“Aiding Ukraine is paramount. Supporting Ukraine means defending democracy across the globe and not allowing authoritarians to redraw the maps. We cannot regress to 19th and 20th-century geopolitics.”
In Arizona CD Three, the district that Ruben Gallego is retiring from to run for the United States Senate, both Yassamin Ansari and Raquel Teran provided their perspectives.
Phoenix Vice Mayor Ansari posted on social media:
Former State Party Chair and Democratic Senate Leader Teran commented:
“Democrats came together to show Republicans what it means to govern, organizing to avoid a government shutdown that would have impacted countless families across the country. We need leaders that deliver- and Republicans are shortchanging Americans of that. I will be ready to join Democrats to build a coalition against far-right Maga Republicans who don’t care about leaving our communities behind.”
Finally, in CD Six, former Democratic State Legislator Kirsten Engel, who wrote an op-ed on the dramatic effects on the people if a shutdown occurred, criticized incumbent opponent Juan Ciscomani for his support of inserting anti-reproductive freedom measures in appropriation bills. In a campaign press release, Ms. Engel stated:
“I’m glad Congress came to a consensus and passed a continuing resolution to keep our government working, but let’s be perfectly clear — this is a temporary fix that did not have to come to this point. After weeks of infighting, House Republicans jeopardized the safety and security of Arizona’s veterans, seniors, women, children, and hardworking families.
“When it mattered most, my opponent Juan Ciscomani worked with extremists to tuck anti-abortion measures into unrelated funding bills that members of his own party didn’t even support. He voted to slash funding for law enforcement officials, teachers, small businesses, wildfire prevention, and infrastructure projects. He continues to push his party’s extremist agenda by punishing working families and stripping our rights and freedoms.”
“When Juan Ciscomani shows you who he is, believe him. Enough is enough. We deserve better, and next November we’ll fire him for putting politics over American people.”
The actions of Arizona’s House Republicans in this recent episode should serve as further evidence to voters in these Congressional Districts to elect candidates that will work for the people’s interests and not against them.
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