After less than four years in office, Rep. Juan Ciscomani has proven to be a strong advocate for economic development in rural Arizona, supporting the electric cooperatives that power growth and the communities they serve, co-op leaders say.

“Our partnership with Representative Ciscomani is a testament of his dedicated service to rural Arizona," says Patrick Ledger, executive vice president and CEO of Arizona Electric Power Cooperative Inc. (AEPCO).

“Electric cooperatives and public power utilities are driving the next wave of economic development in rural communities, and Juan is a tireless champion for our success. His support helped AEPCO secure $485 million in New ERA grant funding to expand and diversify our generation fleet, powering a bright future for rural Arizona."

The Republican congressman was also instrumental in helping bring a new U.S. Space Force mission to Fort Huachuca in Cochise County this year, said Jason Bowling, CEO of Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative in Willcox.

“The Army base employs more than 10,000 people so, if the Army is growing, then our co-op is growing," Bowling says. “Landing a major mission like Space Force will be transformational for decades."

Ciscomani's strong connection with local co-ops stems from the fact that many of his constituents are served by the not-for-profit utilities. He represents Arizona's 6th Congressional District, which includes five distribution co-ops, Arizona G&T Cooperatives' headquarters and AEPCO's Apache Generating Station.

The congressman, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee, helped increase 2026 funding from $6.5 billion to $7 billion for the Rural Utilities Service Electric Loan Program, which helps co-ops pay for construction, improvement and modernization of their systems.

He also leveraged his seat on the powerful committee to secure more than $22 million in fiscal 2026 funding for community projects throughout his southeast Arizona district, including road and bridge construction, airport runway restoration and the reconstruction of a historic Buffalo Soldier Trail in the city of Sierra Vista.

Besides helping to secure federal funding for co-ops and their communities, Ciscomani voted for the Fix Our Forests Act, which passed the House last year and is awaiting action by the Senate. The bipartisan legislation would expedite federal approvals to allow co-ops to harden their grids against wildfires and remove “hazard trees" that are in danger of sparking fires by falling from federal property onto electric lines.

The congressman also helped hold down electricity rates by co-sponsoring successful legislation that freed up about $52 million in unused funds to make crucial infrastructure improvements to the Hoover Dam, which provides hydropower to 1.3 million people throughout the Southwest, including co-op members.

The money will be used to replace the dam's widehead turbines, saving co-ops millions of dollars in operations and maintenance costs.

“Without this action, electricity bills would have gone up for our members," Bowling says.

Ciscomani also co-sponsored a resolution recognizing the important work that lineworkers do and expressing support for National Lineman Appreciation Day.

“I don't know what more we could ask for in a congressman," Bowling says.

Ciscomani says that “rural electric co-ops in my state of Arizona and across the country are an essential part of our broader energy portfolio."

“That's why I was honored to be at the White House recently for President Trump's announcement that $20 million will be invested in the Arizona Electric Power Cooperative," he says. “These funds will help improve reliability, support good-paying jobs, and ensure families and businesses have access to dependable, affordable energy.

“I have long supported an all-of-the-above approach to energy and that can't happen without rural electric co-ops. This approach is the best way to strengthen our energy security, lower costs, and meet the needs of growing communities. When we support rural electric co-ops, as I am proud to do, we're supporting energy produced with domestic resources and we are strengthening the backbone of our local energy supply."

The congressman's robust advocacy on behalf of co-ops earned him the Arizona Rural Electric Cooperative Champion Award in 2024 from the Grand Canyon State Electric Cooperative Association.

“It's an honor bestowed on someone who's demonstrated support for electric cooperatives contributed to the betterment of our rural communities and our collective mission—an individual who embodies the cooperative principles," says Jorge Canaca, CEO for the statewide association.

“Congressman Ciscomani has proven to be an incredible advocate for our co-ops, and he lives and breathes the Seventh Cooperative Principle: Concern for Community. In my decade and a half working with the congressional delegation, I haven't met anyone more responsive, dedicated and aligned with the values of our member-owners. Whether it's assistance with a legislative, regulatory, budgetary issue or bureaucratic government process, Rep. Ciscomani always helps us execute our priorities."

Canaca says Ciscomani knows his local co-ops and their leaders intimately. He even wrote a 2025 letter to NRECA supporting SSVEC for the national association's Electric Cooperative Purpose Award. After the co-op won, the congressman lauded SSVEC in a speech from the House floor.

“It meant a lot to us for him to give us that kind of national attention," Bowling says.

At a time when Congress is known for its deep partisan divide, Ciscomani is known for bipartisanship.

During his first term, he was named the most bipartisan House member from Arizona by the University of Virginia's Center for Effective Lawmaking and by The Bipartisan Index, a joint project of The Lugar Center and Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy.

In 2023, the then-freshman congressman participated in a panel discussion with Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., at NRECA's Legislative Conference to talk about the importance of lawmakers of both parties working together to help the American people.

Ciscomani, who represents a swing district, set up an advisory committee in Arizona made up of local leaders with diverse political ideologies.

“There is an appetite in our country for people to work together to find solutions," Ciscomani told co-op leaders at the conference.

Before being elected to Congress, he worked with political leaders of both parties. In 2003, he served as an intern for Rep. Ed Pastor, a Democratic congressman who represented the Phoenix area for nearly 25 years. He also completed a fellowship in the office of former Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif.

In 2015, Ciscomani joined former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey's Republican administration as senior adviser and vice chairman of the Arizona-Mexico Commission. He focused on international trade and diplomacy, border security and economic development.

The 43-year-old congressman was the first naturalized American citizen from Mexico ever elected to the U.S. House from Arizona. He lives in Tucson with his wife, Laura, and their six children.

In his official biography, he says he often shares his father's words to describe his family's journey: “Where else could we have our story? We come to the U.S., learn English, immerse in the culture, become U.S. citizens. I drive a bus most of my life and now my son is a United States congressman. Where else in the world? Nowhere else. That's the American Dream."