Who's running in Arizona's 9th congressional district
2 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.
2 candidates · ballot order · Paul Gosar currently holds this seat
High confidenceHigh confidenceBacked by government records or the candidate's own official statements, with agreement across several independent sources.What would raise it: Nothing missing — this is the strongest evidence tier.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Border security and immigration enforcement.
Mining and public lands policy in western Arizona.
Cutting federal spending and agency authority.
Second Amendment rights.
Support for President Trump's agenda.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Representative since January 2011, representing the 9th District since 2023; re-elected in 2024 with 65.3%.
A dentist by profession.
Chairs the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and sits on its Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee, and on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Censured by the House in November 2021 and stripped of his committee assignments over an animated video depicting him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; Republicans restored his assignments after taking the majority in 2022.
Spoke at the America First Political Action Conference, organised by white nationalist Nick Fuentes, and later said he had not known about the group, blaming a "miscommunication" with a staffer; he has since promoted Fuentes's work again.
A 2023 report identified his digital director as an activist in a white supremacist movement.
Won the July 21, 2026 Republican primary unopposed.
Arguments in favor
He has President Trump and Turning Point Action behind him, was unopposed for renomination, and holds a district he won by more than thirty points in 2024 that every forecaster rates safe or solid Republican.
— Donald Trump and Turning Point Action endorsements; 2024 result and forecaster ratings
He chairs the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and sits on Energy and Mineral Resources — direct authority over the public lands and mining questions that dominate western Arizona, and which he has used on district matters such as the La Paz land exchange.
— House committee rosters, 119th Congress; his January 2026 letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on the La Paz land exchange
Arguments against
Members of his own family have campaigned against him: six of his siblings appeared in a 2018 advertisement urging voters not to re-elect him, and three later endorsed a Republican primary opponent, calling their brother "completely unfit for office" and "clearly unhinged."
— Six of Paul Gosar's siblings, 2018 advertisement; three siblings' endorsement of a primary opponent, reported by 12 News
The House censured him in 2021 over a video depicting him killing a colleague, and he has repeatedly appeared with and promoted white nationalist Nick Fuentes — first blaming a staff "miscommunication" for headlining Fuentes's conference, then returning to promote his work.
— House censure resolution, November 2021; reporting by Newsweek, The Daily Beast and Mediaite
What we couldn’t verify
Both criticisms predate this cycle: the censure was in 2021, the sibling advertisement in 2018 and the sibling endorsement in an earlier primary. No criticism of Gosar by name from Danielle Sterbinsky or from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2026 could be found; her campaign site does not mention him.
No verified campaign website could be found; the domain matching his campaign name serves only a placeholder.
He was unopposed in the 2026 primary, so the intra-party criticism of earlier cycles did not produce a challenger this time.
Housing stability — support for first-time buyers and rental assistance, including restrictions on institutional investors buying single-family homes under the ROAD to Housing Act.
Affordable childcare and fair wages.
Lower prescription drug costs and a public health insurance option.
Fully funded schools and workforce training.
Rural investment, including broadband expansion.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
United States Navy veteran; served as a petty officer aboard the USS Bainbridge.
Holds a bachelor's degree in social sciences from the University of Hawaii and a master's in industrial-organisational psychology from Grand Canyon University; works as a certified HR professional.
Won the July 21, 2026 Democratic primary unopposed with 35,700 votes.
Supports the ROAD to Housing Act, a bipartisan measure restricting institutional investors from buying single-family homes.
Has not held elected office.
Arguments in favor
She has consolidated the district's Democrats — unopposed for the nomination — and campaigns on a specific housing programme rather than general opposition, backing the bipartisan ROAD to Housing Act's limits on institutional buyers of single-family homes.
— July 2026 primary result; her published housing platform
Arguments against
Republican primary turnout in the district was more than twice the Democratic turnout — 79,336 to 35,700 — Gosar won by more than thirty points in 2024, and every forecaster rates the seat safe or solid Republican.
— July 2026 primary turnout; 2024 result; Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball and Decision Desk HQ ratings
What we couldn’t verify
No published criticism of Sterbinsky by name could be found — not from Paul Gosar or his campaign, not from the National Republican Congressional Committee, and not in Arizona news coverage. Searches covered NRCC materials, her name against criticism and opponent terms, and the Arizona Republic, Arizona Mirror, KJZZ, the Surprise Independent and AZ Free News.
Her campaign site does not name the incumbent or engage his record.
No fundraising figures or endorsements for her campaign were found.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
Arizona held its primaries on July 21, 2026. Two candidates appear on the November ballot: Republican incumbent Paul Gosar, unopposed for renomination with 79,336 votes, and Democrat Danielle Sterbinsky, unopposed with 35,700. The district covers much of western Arizona, including parts of Yuma and western Maricopa County. Gosar won it with 65.3% in 2024 and every forecaster rates it safe or solid Republican.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
A Arizona ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.