Arizona congressional candidate Kirsten Engel faces scrutiny over misuse of taxpayer resources

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Documents indicate that Kirsten Engel, a Democratic congressional candidate in Arizona, may have misused taxpayer-funded resources to support her campaign while serving as a state senator. Engel is running against Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District.

Records show Engel forwarded taxpayer-funded subscription publications, including the Yellow Sheet Report and Arizona Legislative Report, to her campaign staff using her state email. Some emails contained warnings stating that dissemination of their reports is illegal, with Engel reportedly forwarding such emails at least 15 times over three years.

Additionally, Engel coordinated social media posts for her campaign using her state email and used her University of Arizona email, linked to her law school position, to schedule meetings related to her congressional candidacy.

Ethics guidelines require candidates to use campaign-related email accounts for political communications. The National Republican Congressional Committee criticized Engel's actions, suggesting they reflect poorly on her ethical standards.

Engel previously faced Ciscomani in the 2022 election, losing by just over 1 percentage point, and the current race is considered competitive.