Juan Ciscomani: The Republican who will speak in Spanish at the State of the Union Address

The Hispanic representative from Arizona was chosen to deliver this year's Republican Address in Spanish: "The American dream deserves to be defended."

Published by

Alejandro Baños

3 de febrero, 2023

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Kevin McCarthy, Speaker of the House of Representatives, announced that Republican Representative Juan Ciscomani will be in charge of delivering the Republican Address in Spanish to Joe Biden during the State of the Union.

Delivering a speech at the State of the Union Address in Spanish is a common practice in Congress due to the growing presence of the Spanish-speaking community in the United States. Ciscomani was proud to be able to respond to the president in his native language.

Juan Ciscomani: a newcomer in Congress

Juan Ciscomani represents District 6 in Arizona. He is one of the newcomers to Congress. In the November midterms, he won his seat by a small margin of votes (+1.5%) over his opponent, Democratic Party candidate Kirsten Engel, and joined the House of Representatives for the first time.

He is the first Hispanic American-born citizen to represent Arizona in Congress. Previously, he was a member of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Arizona Civil Rights Advisory Board, where he worked with former Arizona Governor Doug Ducey.

As a native of Hermosillo, Mexico, he immigrated to Tucson with his parents when he was young. He is married and has six children. There is a phrase his father told him that he likes to share often:

Where else could we have our story? We come to the US, learn English, immerse in the culture, become US 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.