Competitiveness
This East Valley seat in Maricopa County contains parts of Mesa, Chandler and all of Gilbert as well as the fast-growing town of Queen Creek. It also contains the city of Apache Junction in Pinal County.
The 6th District's demographics are more similar to the Glendale-based 2nd district than to the neighboring 5th District centered on Scottsdale and Tempe. It is an area known for cultural conservatism and has a high percentage of Mormons (including its current representative Jeff Flake). As such, it is the most Republican district in the state.
George W. Bush received 64% of the vote in this district in 2004. Native son John McCain--who represented this district (then numbered as the 1st) from 1983 to 1987--received 61.32% of the vote in the district in 2008, making it his best showing in his home state.
Read more about this topic: Arizona's 6th Congressional District