2026 Election: Arizona Congressional District 8 Democratic candidates debate
Arizona congressional district 8 democratic primary debate
The official 2026 Democratic Primary Debate for Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, featured candidates Bernadette Greene-Placentia and Raymond Keeler. As voters prepare for the July 21 primary election, the two candidates took the stage to lay out their platforms, address key local issues, and explain why they are the best choice to represent CD8 in Washington. Key debate topics included economic affordability, border security reform, Social Security protections, and public school funding.
PHOENIX - The two candidates in the Democratic Party primary for Arizona's 8th Congressional District took part in a debate on June 15.
Here's what to know.
Who organized the debate?
Per their website, the Citizens Clean Elections Commission is the official debate sponsor.
What parts of Arizona does the 8th Congressional District cover?
According to the U.S. House of Representatives website, Arizona's 8th Congressional District covers parts of the West Valley, including parts of Glendale, Peoria, Phoenix and Surprise.
Big picture view:
The incumbent lawmaker representing the district is Republican Abe Hamadeh, who was elected to the seat in 2024. According to the Arizona Secretary of State's office, Hamadeh is running for reelection.
Who took part in this debate?
The two candidates who took part in this debate are Bernadette Greene-Placentia and Raymond "Ray" Keeler.
Dig deeper:
Neither Greene-Placentia nor Keeler have served in elected office. On her website, Greene-Placentia even emphasized that she is not a politician. Meanwhile, Keeler's biography on his campaign website mentioned the decades he has spent living within the district, as well as his service in the private sector and his work in conservation.
What are the candidates running on?
Greene-Placentia
On the priorities section of her campaign website, Greene-Placentia said she opposes "indiscriminate cuts" to Social Security and Medicare, instead advocating for other changes like requiring those who earn a high income to pay the same payroll tax rate as those who earn less. She also said she will "protect access to contraception and emergency care," make student borrowing fair and manageable, and supports changes to programs in the trucking industry that she says "trap small-business truckers into unfair debt."
Keeler
On his issues and positions page, Keeler said he supports legislation that aims to make changes to the Affordable Care Act, rather than replace the healthcare law completely. He also said he supports tariffs that are targeted at certain items, and increased incentives for 3D home printing.
Keeler went on to state that he believes a border wall is necessarily for parts of the southern border, and that in other parts of the border, the wall is not needed, and may even be harmful.
What did they address?
Economic Affordability
To address rising housing costs and support seniors, Green-Placentia advocated for fixing rent prices in fixed-income communities and pressuring the Fed to lower interest rates. Keeler proposed expanding first-time homebuyer programs and introducing legislative checks to stop large venture capital firms from buying up residential properties.
Healthcare
Keeler championed transparent medical pricing and federal negotiations for generic drugs, while Green-Placentia focused on lowering overall prescription drug costs by reforming the Affordable Care Act.
Social Security Protections
Both candidates supported eliminating the Social Security cap, but they clashed over Medicaid work requirements.
Employment
Keeler defended a 20-hour weekly work requirement as a proven check to encourage employment, while Green-Placentia argued the mandate lacks compassion and burdens working mothers with unsustainable childcare costs.
Education
To improve Arizona’s low national ranking in education, Green-Placentia proposed federal baseline standards for teacher pay and new grant incentives. Keeler suggested reallocating a portion of the massive federal military budget directly into education to boost teacher salaries and fund trade school certifications.
What about the Republican debate?
Abe Hamadeh ((From Archive))
According to the Arizona Secretary of State's Office, there is only one candidate in the Republican Party primary for Congressional District 8: incumbent Abe Hamadeh.
Big picture view:
On the Citizens Clean Elections Commission's website, it is stated that only contested races will have a debate. Therefore, a Republican Party debate for the Congressional District 8 primary was not organized.
When are the primaries?
Primary elections will happen statewide on July 21, according to the Arizona Secretary of State's Office.
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from the Citizens Clean Elections Commission's website, as well as from the campaign websites of Bernadette Greene-Placentia and Raymond "Ray" Keeler.