Democrats slam Reps. David Schweikert, Juan Ciscomani for supporting Jim Jordan for House speaker

Democrats quickly hit two House Republicans from Arizona for backing Rep. Jim Jordan for House speaker.

All six of the state's House Republicans voted Tuesday for Jordan to become the speaker in the first round of voting. Jordan has been controversial because of his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, his close relationship with former President Donald Trump and his founding of the far-right Freedom Caucus.

Reps. David Schweikert and Juan Ciscomani, who are considered more moderate members of Arizona’s House Republicans, are facing criticism from their political opponents, progressive Arizona-based organizations and nationwide Democratic organizations.

Ciscomani discussed his support of Jordan on X, formally known as Twitter, before the vote on Tuesday afternoon.

“The People’s House needs to get back to work. Immediately,” Ciscomani said. “Today as we vote for a Speaker to return to legislative business, I will vote for Jim Jordan.”

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the arm of the national party dedicated to electing Democrats to the House, and Honest Arizona, an Arizona-based grassroots economic coalition, criticized Ciscomani and Schweikert for giving into “the extreme wing of their party.”

“Next year, Arizonans will reject this extremism,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Justin Chermol said in a written statement.

Schweikert and Ciscomani represent congressional districts with larger amounts of Democratic support. President Joe Biden carried both of their congressional districts, Arizona's 1st and 6th.

Marlene Galán-Woods, a Democrat who is running for Schweikert’s seat in the 1st Congressional District, called Schweikert a “coward complicit in weakening democracy,” on X, formally known as Twitter.

“This is reprehensible. Arizonans deserve better,” she said.

Ciscomani’s Democratic opponent in the 6th Congressional District, Kirsten Engel, a former state legislator, had a similar sentiment and criticism for Ciscomani, saying that he "ceded to the most extreme members of his party.”

“Rather than work to deliver common-sense solutions for Arizonan families, the Ciscomani-Jordan agenda would ban abortion nationwide and prevent veterans from accessing their much deserved benefits,” Engel said in a statement.

Ciscomani's office cited another looming government shutdown, border security and the Israel-Hamas war issues that "underscore the urgency in a Speaker's race," said Paige Lindgren, a Ciscomani spokesperson.

"Juan spoke several times with Rep. Jordan to ensure he understood Arizona’s 6th congressional district’s needs and priorities," Lindgren stated. "Congress cannot waste any more time. Juan came to D.C. to work for the people — not sit around or play politics.”

What you missed: Jim Jordan loses first speaker of the House vote with GOP holdouts

The next round of voting for Jordan as speaker of the House is expected Wednesday morning.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Ciscomani, Schweikert assailed for backing Jordan for House speaker