Accessibility links Skip to main content Keyboard shortcuts for audio player Open Navigation Menu Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Close Navigation Menu Home News Expand/collapse submenu for News National World Politics Business Health Science Climate Race Culture Expand/collapse submenu for Culture Books Movies Television Pop Culture Food Art & Design Performing Arts Life Kit Gaming Music Expand/collapse submenu for Music Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions Podcasts & Shows Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows Daily Morning Edition Weekend Edition Saturday Weekend Edition Sunday All Things Considered Up First Here & Now NPR Politics Podcast Featured Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Embedded Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics A U.S. House race in Arizona could hinge on voters' opinion of the Big Beautiful Bill The reelection campaign by a Republican congressman in Arizona could hinge on voter perceptions of last year's massive GOP-backed spending bill. Politics A U.S. House race in Arizona could hinge on voters' opinion of the Big Beautiful Bill September 22, 20264:47 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition From By Wayne Schutsky A U.S. House race in Arizona could hinge on voters' opinion of the Big Beautiful Bill Listen · 3:47 3:47 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5973072/nx-s1-9935431" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript The reelection campaign by a Republican congressman in Arizona could hinge on voter perceptions of last year's massive GOP-backed spending bill. Sponsor Message Transcript
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A competitive congressional race in Arizona is one of just 18 across the country that could determine which party controls the House. The central question in that race is, did Republicans' One Big Beautiful Bill Act help or hurt voters? KJZZ's Wayne Schutsky reports.
WAYNE SCHUTSKY, BYLINE: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and House Speaker Mike Johnson joined incumbent GOP Congressman Juan Ciscomani in August to tour a Frito-Lay factory in Casa Grande, a rapidly expanding city about an hour south of Phoenix that's part of the state's sixth congressional district. After the tour, Bessent gave his impression of the city.
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SCOTT BESSENT: Life is good here in Casa Grande.
SCHUTSKY: The three Republicans used the tour to praise GOP policies, and specifically how the One Big Beautiful Bill is benefiting Congressional District 6. Here's Speaker Johnson.
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MIKE JOHNSON: We're putting manufacturers, small businesses, working families in the best possible position to succeed. And we're going to continue to do that.
SCHUTSKY: The visit came as polling shows Ciscomani locked in a close race with Democratic challenger JoAnna Mendoza, a Marine Corps veteran who grew up nearby in a family of farm workers. To Mendoza, President Trump's signature domestic policy achievement, also called HR1, hasn't been all that beautiful for CD6, where residents are dealing with a rising cost of living. And she says HR1's changes to SNAP food assistance are making things worse. Mendoza says programs like these helped her rise out of rural poverty to eventually become a Marine Corps drill sergeant.
JOANNA MENDOZA: I share that with people because these programs are not - they're not a handout. They're a hand up. And certainly, families like mine used them when they needed them.
SCHUTSKY: Since Arizona began implementing the changes to SNAP, just over half of the people enrolled in the state lost benefits, around half a million Arizonans. That's outpacing other states across the country. Nationwide, 25 states with available data reported that over 1 million children lost their SNAP benefits. Republicans have defended the changes. Here's Ciscomani at a debate earlier this month.
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JUAN CISCOMANI: We want to make sure that we protect that safety net for the people that was meant to do. There's a lot of fraud out there.
SCHUTSKY: But critics, including many SNAP recipients, have complained that new bureaucratic hurdles are causing otherwise qualified Arizonans to lose coverage. Data from the state agency responsible for administering food assistance, released in response to a records request by KJZZ, shows it has dropped millions of calls with Arizonans since October 2024, which has made it harder for people seeking benefits to comply with HR1's new work requirements that went into effect last year. The agency now says it's making changes to improve its ability to answer those calls. But during the factory visit, Ciscomani lists the ways he thinks HR1 is benefiting his constituents.
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CISCOMANI: Represents the largest tax cut in American history made permanent. Largest share of tax relief directly to low- and middle-income Americans. Protects and creates up to 7.2 million jobs.
SCHUTSKY: Ultimately, it will be up to CD6 voters to decide whether the Big Beautiful Bill has been a boon or a bust for their community. Counties in the district have an unemployment rate between 5.5% to nearly 7%. That's more than a percentage point higher than when Trump took office for his second term. George Scott, who works with the local chamber of commerce in rural Benson, Arizona, acknowledged that life can be tough in districts like his and thinks the GOP-backed tax cuts will help.
GEORGE SCOTT: I believe in the tax cuts. You know, it's just hard to make ends meet in rural Arizona.
SCHUTSKY: Back in Casa Grande, resident Terri Arvizu appeared alongside Mendoza at a recent panel to tell a different story.
TERRI ARVIZU: I talk to my neighbors, I talk to coworkers, and everybody's struggling. We need more in our community. We need the resources. We need the help. Like, we don't feel like anyone's hearing our voices.
SCHUTSKY: So is life good in CD6? It depends on who you ask. For NPR News, I'm Wayne Schutsky in Phoenix. Copyright © 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. NPR does not offer or accept money for coverage or interviews. Anyone who makes such an offer or request is not an NPR employee and does not represent NPR. Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor (function () { var loadPageJs = function () { (window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[]).push([[22],{314:function(e,n,o){o.p=NPR.serverVars.webpackPublicPath,Promise.all([o.e(1),o.e(2),o.e(3),o.e(4),o.e(80)]).then((e=>{o(15),o(772),o(156),o(177),o(95),o(451),o(257),o(131),o(133),o(758),o(176),o(759),o(258),o(80),o(777)}).bind(null,o)).catch(o.oe)},786:function(e,n,o){e.exports=o(314)}},[[786,0]]]); }; if (document.readyState === 'complete') { loadPageJs(); } else { window.addEventListener('load', function load() { window.removeEventListener('load', load, false); loadPageJs(); }); } })();