Tucson immigration lawyer wants to challenge Ciscomani in Southern Az swing district

Tucson immigration attorney Mo Goldman announced Monday that he plans to run against U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani in the 2026 midterm election.

Mo Goldman said he was inspired to run based on what he’s seen from President Donald Trump in the first few months of his second term.

“If I didn’t try doing this, being that I am the fortunate grandchild of two Holocaust survivors – the only survivors in their family to come out of that whole genocide – I would regret that I didn’t go for it during the time where I think we need some new leadership and new voices to speak on behalf of the good people of this country,” Goldman said.

Goldman said the federal government push against the type of immigrants he sees in his office has been upsetting.

“It seems like a lot of wasted resources on individuals who are not here to do our country any harm, and that do benefit our country economically,” Goldman said. “Where are we using our finite resources, and are we using them for the betterment of the people of this country?”

Goldman. 50, said he had considered running for the seat in 2018 because he was upset by Trump’s election but eventually decided against it.

But now, he said, his kids are older and so far, no heavyweight candidate has emerged in the race to challenge Ciscomani, who is not speaking out against Trump’s actions.

“People in Congress, who should be protecting their own constituents, are not stepping up and doing it, and that’s where I have a big problem with Rep. Ciscomani,” Goldman said. “I do not think he is representing his district as he should be.”

A Tucson native, Goldman is a Green Fields Country Day School graduate. He attended Syracuse University in pursuit of a journalism degree and then earned a law degree at Hofstra University in New New York in 2000.

He practiced immigration law in New York for about five years before returning to Tucson in 2005.

Goldman said he was attracted to immigration law because “it’s the sort of law that you can have a private business, but you can also be in a public service area, because you’re helping people navigate a complex, very draconian system.”

Goldman joins 10 other Democrats who filed statements of interest in the race with the Arizona Secretary of State, including JoAnna Mendoza, Chris Donat, Andrew Becerra, Dean Dill, Tyler Newman, Lori Reid, Samantha Severson, Jason Stanhibel, Aiden Swallow and Fernando Alvarez.

Of the Democrats, only Mendoza has yet reported raising significant amounts of money for a campaign.

Besides Ciscomani, Austin Unruh has filed a statement of interest on the GOP side.

The majority of the congressional district’s voters  – 74 percent – live in Pima County. About 12 percent live in Cochise County and about 10 percent live in Pinal County, with the remaining 4 percent scattered around Graham and Greenlee counties.

The district leans Republican, with 36 percent of voters identifying with the GOP, 31 percent identifying as Democrats and 33 percent who aren’t aligned with either major party.

Ciscomani twice defeated former state lawmaker Kirsten Engel for the seat on the U.S. House, in 2022 and 2024.