The rally about Ciscomani

Dems challenge GOP Congressman … A lot to decide … And Booker vs Kelly?

New Jersey Senator Cory Booker came to Tucson on Sunday night not to see Tucson Rep. Juan Ciscomani — but to talk about him.

Booker, along with a slate of high-profile Arizona Democrats, held a town hall in Ciscomani’s district as part of a national strategy to hold events in Republican districts where GOP congressmen are refusing to hold in-person meetings with their constituents.

U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, Phoenix Congressman Greg Stanton and former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, Pima County Attorney Laura Conover, and the chairman of the Arizona Democratic Party Robert Branscomb joined Booker on stage.

It doesn’t hurt that Congressional District 6 is considered a competitive district and Democrats are already targeting the two-term Congressman next year as one of the seats that can be flipped. So far, eight Democrats have submitted a statement of interest in running against Ciscomani next year.

U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and Pima County Attorney Laura Conover take questions from the press.

Before the rally, Booker told reporters that he came to Tucson because Republicans in Washington — including Ciscomani — are refusing to stand up for their constituents. He said many Republicans privately agree with Democrats on so many of these issues — but won’t speak out.

“Unfortunately, right now they're not stepping up to defend Medicaid, to defend food stamps and other critical services that they seem to be cutting in order to give tax cuts to the wealthiest amongst us who really don't need our help,” Booker said.

Republicans are afraid of losing their jobs if they cross Donald Trump, Stanton told reporters.

“The thing I would add is that so many of my colleagues in the House, the Republican colleagues, it seems like their number one motivating factor right now in how they make decisions is fear of Donald Trump. If they don't do what Donald Trump wants, they're going to be primaried,” he said.

Inside the Catalina High School auditorium, more than 800 people showed up to listen and to ask questions on Sunday night.

Tucson resident George Beverly Jr., a medically retired veteran who served for 17 and a half years, talked to Booker about how cuts to the VA have made it difficult to find a doctor in the military who understands his trauma as an African-American man.

“So if I go to the VA, a white doctor won't understand the pain that I'm going through. How do I know this? Because Donald Trump is telling them that DEI is just a figment of people’s imagination. But color matters,” he said.

Booker was empathetic, saying the vilification of DEI was un-American.

“Our history matters. And what this president is trying to do, which is trying to homogenize, Disney-ify, whitewash, erase our history, cheapens the American story and the strength of who we are,” Booker said.

Kelly offered to help him find a doctor through his Senate office.

While it’s only been a few weeks since Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Greg Casar took the stage outside of Catalina High School, Kelly hinted at more visits in the future.

“I know we cut (registration) off when people were trying to sign up for this. But if we get a bigger venue and a bigger venue after that, by the time we get to the next election, we can win this seat here in this district,” he said.

Democrats still have to convince Republicans and independents to break away from Ciscomani next year.

Congressional District 6 leans a bit Republican when it comes to voter registrations — about 36% are registered Republicans, while around 30% are Democrats.

Today’s secret phrase at the Pima County Board of Supervisors meeting will be “tough decision.”

We don’t advise turning it into a drinking game, as the meeting starts at 9 a.m., but you are going to hear it a lot today.

Yesterday, we covered the six Democrats vying to fill the vacant Ward 5 seat on the board, and today the four remaining Supervisors will have to decide.

The supervisors will also weigh in on whether to again sue the city over a controversial plan in which Tucson Water would make county residents pay more for service. They successfully sued the city in 2023, but the city is back with a new plan on differential water rates.

They will also meet behind closed doors with their attorneys to discuss potential lawsuits involving the Trump administration.

While the information provided publicly is vague, County Administrator Jan Lesher notified the Board (and the public) about another letter from FEMA terminating three grants related to shelters for asylum seekers.

The County closed those shelters several weeks ago, but it is still seeking reimbursement for millions spent operating them with federal approval.

The Supervisors — including their newest member — will also discuss the budget. Two departments continue to forecast being in the red, with Public Defense Services projected to end the year $2.65 million over budget, and the Sheriff's Department expected to spend $3.9 million more than it was allocated.

Playing possum: The University of Arizona is acting submissive to GOP lawmakers leading the anti-DEI crusade, Arizona Daily Star columnist Tim Steller writes. Most recently, the UA president sent a letter to the Arizona Senate president listing all the steps the university had taken to eliminate DEI.

“They’re not flashing defiance — they’re laying low, apparently hoping to avoid confrontation and to maintain their paltry state funding,” Steller writes.

Now’s the time: Green Valley News’ editor Dan Shearer says it’s time for Rep. Juan Ciscomani to speak to his constituents and show leadership as President Donald Trump introduces “confusion, disorder and turmoil to nearly every aspect of daily life.” Shearer ran through the topics Ciscomani addressed during a tele-town hall last week (which we covered on Friday) and ended with this nugget:

“Rep. Ciscomani is a man of integrity and honor, and I'm truly sorry President Trump has put him and other decent GOP leaders in an awkward position. He probably is too, but he won't say it. He seems to fear Trump, House Speaker Johnson and anybody who could harm his chances at a third term in 2026,” Shearer writes.

Looking over the backyard fence: Tempe is following in the footsteps of Tucson and Phoenix by trying to make it easier to build casitas, also known as accessory dwelling units. The Tempe City Council approved new casita regulations and launched a design contest, KTAR’s Payne Moses reports. The new, simpler process could cut the cost of building a casita by as much as $10,000.

Help us build a Tucson Agenda casita by upgrading to a paid subscription today!

Cutting out the middle man: Athletes at Arizona universities could get paid directly by the school they attend, under a bill the Legislature is considering, Capitol Media Services’ Howard Fischer reports. For the past few years, athletes have been allowed to make money through advertising and other private deals, some worth millions of dollars. But under SB1615, Arizona universities would be able to spend about $20 million of school money (an amount tied to an expected court settlement) to entice athletes to enroll. How would universities pay for it? The top option lawmakers are floating so far is kind of unexpected: Raffles.

From now on, your name is “Fraudster”: A board member of a University of Arizona fraternity was convicted of stealing more than $500,000 from the Tucson Delta Chi Alumni Board, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced in a news release. Michael Woolbright pulled off the fraud by issuing unauthorized checks and wire transfers from an account belonging to the fraternity chapter.

Still going strong: A car crashing through the front of a Tucson restaurant wasn’t enough to keep hungry patrons away, KGUN’s Reyna Preciado reports. The driver wrecked the seating area at Cafe Santa Rosa two months ago, but the restaurant owners adapted by opening up other areas of the restaurant, surprising some patrons who didn’t know there was a bar or banquet hall.

Not every moment in Sunday night’s town hall was steeped in heavy discussions about the future of American institutions.

Cory Booker even teased Mark Kelly, noting to his fellow bald Senator how much he admires former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.

“Gabby Giffords is one of the most amazing heroes of my life. And had I noticed years back that she was in the market for a bald guy from Jersey, I would have stepped up,” Booker joked.

Kelly shot back later, saying Booker asked the former astronaut about how to stay standing (and not go to the bathroom) for long periods of time before what would become a record-breaking filibuster on the Senate floor.

Kelly said he knows how to manage sitting in a space suit for 10 hours at time.

“As an astronaut, one of our challenges is you get in a pressure suit hours and hours before you climb into the rocket ship, and then you're going to be sitting in your seat in the rocket ship on your back, and your kidneys are working overtime,” he said. “I really couldn't help him, because I said, ‘Cory, this is 25 hours you're talking about, not just 10.’”