by Staff Reporter | Oct 11, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva says her district deserves representation, though she was silent on the absence of her father, the late Raúl Grijalva, from office.
The younger Grijalva has yet to be sworn in. She says Republicans are to blame for their refusal to agree to Democrats’ desired Obamacare continuations to lift the ongoing government shutdown.
“Speaker Johnson continues to make excuses but all the while southern Arizona still does not have a voice in Washington,” said Grijlava.
Senator Ruben Gallego also blamed House Speaker Mike Johnson and the rest of his Republican colleagues for Grijalva not being sworn in, claiming Johnson was telling “lies” to the public.
Contrary to Grijalva’s characterization of the situation, Grijalva can’t be sworn in because the statewide certification has yet to take place.
Grijalva’s desire to secure representation for her district is also a newfound one. She had little to say during the final years of her father’s term.
The late Grijalva missed most votes from last year and this year amid a lung cancer battle that would ultimately claim his life in March at 77 years old. The longtime Democrat had held his seat for 20 years when he announced his lung cancer diagnosis in 2023.
The late Grijalva missed nearly all votes (about 97 percent of votes) this and the last session before his passing. The only vote he took this session was for Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries for House Speaker at the start of session. He defended his absence with the claim his vote wouldn’t have any impact in a Republican-controlled Congress.
“They’re inconsequential because the Republicans are in charge and it’s the worst performing Congress in decades, if not a hundred years,” said Grijalva at the time.
Tucson residents were quick to point out the successor Grijalva’s hypocrisy.
“A lung cancer diagnosis in April 2024 led Grijalva to miss most of his votes in the House of Representatives throughout the year and into 2025,” said one user. “[You] didn’t say a damn word.”
Grijalva couldn’t be sworn in sooner than next Tuesday, anyways, because that’s when the statewide canvass is scheduled.
Arizona Secretary of State and fellow Democrat Adrian Fontes issued a press release on that point. The deadline to file an election contest, also, will not occur until October 20.
Next Tuesday is also the earliest date the Senate will reconvene to possibly agree on a continuing resolution to cease the government shutdown.
Debbie Lesko, Maricopa County Supervisor and former congresswoman, reminded the public that she wasn’t sworn in until the House began its session that year, in 2018.
“[This is] what’s happening with Grijalva,” said Lesko. “The Democrats and media are making a big deal over nothing.”
Congress had its longest shutdown on record from December 2018 to January 2019. The shutdown has lasted for over a week now.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Ethan Faverino | Sep 21, 2025 | News
By Ethan Faverino |
Congressman Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06) marked a personal milestone on September 18, 2025, commemorating 19 years since he became a U.S. citizen and reflecting on his remarkable journey from a congressional intern to a member of the United States Congress.
In a heartfelt post on X, Ciscomani shared a touching moment of his parents visiting him on Capitol Hill, 18 years apart, highlighting the opportunities afforded by the American Dream.
“Same place and same people, 18 years apart,” Ciscomani wrote. “In 2006, my parents visited me on Capitol Hill. I was a Congressional intern with a Green Card. Now they’re back visiting me again. And I’m a member of Congress with a Green Pin. Grateful for the opportunities our great nation offers!”
Ciscomani, who represents the Arizona 6th Congressional District, also celebrated the 19th anniversary of his U.S citizenship, recalling the moment he raised his right hand and became a citizen.
“From the son of a bus driver to serving in the United States Congress—my story and millions of other stories are only possible in the greatest country on earth. Grateful for the blessings of citizenship and the American Dream!” said Ciscomani on X.
Before his election to Congress in 2022, Ciscomani served as the senior advisor to Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and held leadership roles in the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, where he advocated for economic growth and community development.
As a member of Congress, Ciscomani has focused on issues critical to his constituents, including border security, economic development, and veterans affairs. He serves on the House Committee on Veterans Affairs and House Committee on Appropriations, where he advocates for policies to strengthen Arizona’s communities and support the nation’s veterans.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Sep 10, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Reps. Andy Biggs (AZ-05) and Abe Hamadeh (AZ-08) joined President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday. They attended the inaugural gathering of the new “Rose Garden Club” on the recently revamped Rose Garden patio.
At the exclusive event, Biggs and Hamadeh were joined by other key leaders in Congress, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, as well as Vice President Vance and cabinet officials like Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
As reported by USA Today, President Trump introduced the newly constructed patio, formerly a grass lawn, as the “Rose Garden Club.” It will welcome Congressional leaders as well as “people that can bring peace and success to our country.”
Speaking at the posh dinner Trump told the gathered Congressional leaders:
“I’ll tell you what we did to the grass. It was not usable. The reason we would have a press conference, women in particular were sinking deep into the mud. And at some point, it’s time to change. We picked a great stone. I may have a great speaker system, I hope. I hope everybody hears us perfectly. But a lot of people are wondering why you’re here tonight. And I’ll tell you simply why you’re here. Because…you are the ones that have been my friends, and you know what I’m talking about. And you’re smart and even brilliant people. But you would tell people… ‘ I don’t speak to the President much because I always vote with the President.’ Mike Johnson who’s going to go down as one of the great Speakers of our time or any other time. Mike, thank you very much. I said, ‘Mike, I want to do something. I want to reward the people that have confidence in their President, and you, and vote for us. And that includes some of the senators that are here.’”
Initially, the President planned to welcome a group of high-level business figures the previous evening, but the weather intervened. “They didn’t want to have rain on top of their beautiful heads,” Trump said. The group reportedly included Microsoft’s Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Sam Altman, founder of OpenAI.
He explained, “You know, you’re the first ones in this great place. We’ll call it ‘The Rose Garden Club. And it’s a club for senators, for congresspeople, and for people in Washington, and frankly, people that can bring peace and success to our country. And you’re invited as congressmen. We have mostly congressmen and senators tonight. Again, you know why you’re first? Because it rained last night. I had the high-tech guys…and they didn’t want to have rain on top of their beautiful heads.
“We had the highest IQ last night in the history of the world, and we took them inside because of two reasons. Number one, I wanted you to be number one. And you were. They could’ve endured a little rain, but I wanted you to be number one. And I would match IQ tonight here with what we had last night, meaning IQ of common sense and survival. I think you have a higher IQ in certain ways, let me tell you. But we had a great group last night, and they’re investing tens of billions, they’re investing trillions of dollars. Some of the companies are investing literally trillions of dollars in this great country of ours.”
In early August, Trump told reporters the Rose Garden was “always wet and damp.” He added, “When we had a press conference, you’d sink into the mud. If it rained it would take three, four, five days to dry out and we couldn’t use it really for the intended purpose.”
In a post to X, Congressman Hamadeh thanked President Trump writing, “Honored to be at the first Rose Garden Club dinner — beautiful event, thank you Mr. President. Keep Making America Great Again!”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Jul 24, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez has launched his second attempt to unseat Republican Congressman Eli Crane (R-AZ02). In response, the Congressman blasted Arizona Democrats, saying they “have hit rock bottom, which is exactly where they found Jonathan Nez.”
The Navajo Democrat was handily defeated by Crane in a 9-point race in 2024, outperforming former Vice President Kamala Harris by 3.5 points and exceeding then-Democrat Senate candidate Ruben Gallego in Arizona’s 2nd District.
In a lengthy interview with the Arizona Republic, Nez told the outlet, “Reintroducing myself and introducing myself is going to be priority this time. It seems like it’s been a long time, but it’s only been seven months of this administration… but as you know, and the people in this country know, there’s a lot of changes with policies and laws that are negatively impacting people every day, hardworking people.”
In a statement released Tuesday, Crane wrote:
“The Democratic Party has no leader, no message, no policy agenda, and no candidates. They’ve resigned themselves to the same old, tired talking points being spewed by the same old extreme liberals.
“They have hit rock bottom, which is exactly where they found Jonathan Nez – still licking his wounds after learning the hard way rural Arizona does not want to be represented by a never-Trump radical. I welcome a rematch with Nez and relish the opportunity to remind voters just how out-of-touch he truly is on taxes, on spending, on border security, on crime, and on energy.”
Crane’s campaign noted in a press release that as far as fundraising is concerned, Crane outraised Nez by over $3 million in the 2024 campaign and has raised more than $2.65 million year-to-date with $1.2 million already in his war chest.
As reported by AZ Free News in April, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) announced that it is targeting the congressional districts of Congressmen David Schweikert (AZ-01), Eli Crane (AZ-02), and Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06) in 2026, listing Congressional District 2 as among the “competitive” districts and classifying Rep. Crane as “vulnerable.”
However, the rosy projections of recently ousted former Arizona Democratic Party Chairman Robert E. Branscomb seemed to ignore that Rep. Eli Crane’s District 2 seat, which has historically seen zero Democrat wins in the last nine races, was designed by Arizona’s Independent Redistricting Commission to hold a 7.2% vote spread competitively. Crane beat that spread by nearly two points in 2024.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Jul 2, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
A special guest blogger for Jessica Reed Kraus’ House In Habit, writing under the pseudonym “Osiris for HIH,” has named Arizona Republican Congressman Abraham Hamadeh (R-AZ8) as runner-up in the “10 Sexiest Men in the 119th Congress.”
“Osiris for HIH,” a gay man “with DC connections” according to Kraus, prefaced the Buzzfeed-esque list article claiming, “some authority on the subject.” He noted that “us gays have a well-documented weakness for men in suits,” before announcing number one on his list: Republican Congressman Brandon Gill of Texa,s citing his “ranch-boy charm and Dartmouth cred.”
But immediately following the Congressional Freshmen Class President, readers find Rep. Hamadeh whom the writer described as “the bachelor to beat.”
He writes, “Rep. Abe Hamadeh, 33, struts into Congress as the bachelor to beat—ex-Army captain, former prosecutor, and Trump’s golden boy in Arizona’s 8th. With a chiseled jaw and a relentless obsession with election integrity, this Scottsdale stud has grit and MAGA swagger. Single and ready to mingle, he’s too busy suing the system and flexing his America-First cred to notice the D.C. dating pool drooling. Good luck, ladies—he’s married to the fight.”
In addition to Hamadeh, the blogger gives the approving nod to Congressmen, Max Miller (R-OH), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Greg Steube (R-FL), and Democrat Congressman Eric Swalwell (D-CA). Among the Senate, he pointed out Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK). The article also tosses Honorable Mentions to Reps. Aaron Bean (R-FL) and Pat Fallon (R-TX).
Katy Grimes, Editor of the California Globe, commented on the article in a post to X writing, “Absolutely hilarious! The ‘Vanity Fair’ for politics… 10 Sexiest Men in the 119th Congress: ‘Get ready to swoon— or cringe— because I’ve scoured the halls of the 119th Congress for the sexiest men who know how to take care of your constituent concerns.’ Also includes ‘dishonorable mentions’.”
The two “dishonorable mentions,” described as “guys who *should* be hot bachelors on paper (looks, charisma, power suits) but tanked their appeal with cringe-worthy actions that give us the ultimate ick,” were Texas Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw and former anti-Trump Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL).
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
