Juan Ciscomani makes his play in Arizona as Republicans look to expand their Hispanic ranks
Juan Ciscomani is one of 17 young Hispanics who will represent their community when Republican members of the Arizona Legislature are on the ballot in November.
It’s a role that comes with a pay increase, an office and health benefits that go above and beyond what their peers receive and a responsibility to vote for Republicans in hopes of increasing their numbers during elections to the Senate or House of Representatives.
What makes Juan Ciscomani unique, and perhaps most important in his career as a legislator, is what he does the day after the Legislature is in session.
He’s one of 17 young Republicans from Arizona, the first in their families to attend college.
“A lot of Hispanics don’t get involved in politics because of their lack of knowledge, and a lot of them don’t get involved because they don’t see a role for themselves in it,” said Ciscomani, 25, of Tempe.
Ciscomani, a Democrat who has run unsuccessfully for an open State Senate seat in 2016, made his play to be more involved in Arizona Republicans’ statewide campaigns and eventually ran as a Republican to succeed U.S. Sen. John McCain, who died in August.
He’s now the first Hispanic candidate — Republican or otherwise — to run for statewide office from his party in Arizona since State Rep. Mike Thompson, a Republican from Gilbert, won the 2002 Republican nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives.
Ciscomani is not only the first Hispanic member of the Arizona legislature to run in the election, but he might be the first Hispanic to be elected as a Republican statewide in the country.
He might also be the first Hispanic to serve on the state’s House of Representatives, representing the 45th District, which includes Gilbert, Mesa and Glendale, and which has long been home to Arizona’s Hispanic community.
As a young man, Ciscomani was often out of the loop with his younger brothers — the youngest was 13 — so he often depended on his eldest brother, Luis, for advice, including political advice. They have different attitudes about
