Arizona — 8th District

Rep. Abe Hamadeh's long-shot Democratic challengers laid out left-leaning agendas in a TV debate held less than two weeks before early voting begins.

A previous forum between the two congressional candidates often turned acrimonious, as Raymond Keeler and Bernadette Greene Placentia sparred over who is more supportive of labor unions and the Democratic Party.

At the June 15 forum, they each outlined a platform that included reversing Republican-led cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, opposing the president's tariffs, and prioritizing water conservation in the West Valley district.

Green Placentia, the retired owner of a small trucking company, said her background lets her connect with Americans regardless of political party. She shared a story about when her truck caught fire and somebody rescued her on the side of the road. They didn't ask each other's political affiliation, she said, just worked to find a solution.

"That's the America I know," she said.

Keeler, an engineer by trade, argued he's the most electable. He said he has occasionally voted in GOP primaries to oppose more radical candidates but has made a point of displaying the Democratic label on his signs and campaign literature.

He noted that American Bridge, a Democratic-linked political organization and opposition research group, is targeting Hamadeh, R-Arizona, among other representatives in districts that are generally considered safe for Republicans.

"I expect to be able to beat him," Keeler said.

Both Democrats face long odds in Arizona's 8th Congressional District, the West Valley Republican stronghold Hamadeh represents. In 2024, the Democratic nominee lost by more than 10 points.

Greene Placentia has billed herself as a working-class answer to President Donald Trump's style of "America First" populism. It's her second time running for the congressional seat: She expressed interest in the race in 2024 but didn't qualify for the ballot.

Keeler has described himself as a pragmatist and "problem-solver" who is ideologically moderate.

Greene Placentia appears to have an advantage in the race. As of late March, she had about $180,000 on hand to support her campaign, compared with Keeler's $14,000.

The candidates were wary of big developments in Arizona.

Keeler said he is concerned about the water footprint of the proposed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Surprise. Green Placentia said the state needs to consider what will happen after Arizona's newly enacted three-year freeze on data center subsidies. Much of the employment at those facilities is temporary, she said.

"Is that short-term gain worth what we're going to get?" Green Placentia said. "At the federal level, I think that we need to start looking at the impact across the board."

The candidates both spurned the Trump administration's "DOGE" effort to cut government funding.

"It reminds me of people who are like, 'Hey, we can't do this because we think one person might take advantage of the system,'" Green Placentia said. "I'm looking at the other 400,000 people that need our help. ... I would rather us concentrate on helping those folks than worry that maybe 400, or even 4,000, are getting away with something."

"You wanna talk about waste and abuse? Let's really look at what we're spending when we're buying all these airplanes or these outdated aircraft carriers," she said.

Keeler struck a more measured tone. He said he supports work requirements for Medicaid recipients, as well as GOP-led restrictions on SNAP food purchases, such as preventing people from using the funds to buy sodas or junk food.

"Why are our people, and our taxes, going to get candy bars at Circle K's, or fast food places instead of making it nutritional items?" he said.

The debate was hosted by Arizona's Citizens Clean Elections Commission.

The primary election is July 21. Early voting begins June 24.