Ryan Cadigan

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Ryan Cadigan

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 2, 2022

Education

Associate

Bryant & Stratton College, 2020

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Navy

Years of service

2016 - 2020

Personal

Birthplace

Flagstaff, Ariz.

Religion

Catholic

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Ryan Cadigan (Republican Party) ran for election to the Arizona House of Representatives to represent District 1. He lost in the Republican primary on August 2, 2022.

Cadigan also ran for election to the Arizona House of Representatives to represent District 6. He did not appear on the ballot for the Republican primary on August 2, 2022.

Cadigan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Ryan Cadigan was born in Flagstaff, Arizona. He served in the U.S. Navy from 2016 to 2020. Cadigan earned an associate degree from Bryant & Stratton College in 2020. He also attended Arizona State University.

Elections

2022

District 1

See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Arizona House of Representatives District 1 (2 seats)

Incumbent Quang Nguyen and Selina Bliss defeated Cathy Ransom and Neil Sinclair in the general election for Arizona House of Representatives District 1 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Quang Nguyen (R)	33.2	75,106
✔		Selina Bliss (R)	33.0	74,731
	Submit photo	Cathy Ransom (D)	17.5	39,665
		Neil Sinclair (D)	16.3	36,867

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 226,369
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 1 (2 seats)

Cathy Ransom and Neil Sinclair advanced from the Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 1 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Cathy Ransom	54.3	19,105
✔		Neil Sinclair	45.7	16,103

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 35,208
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 1 (2 seats)

Incumbent Quang Nguyen and Selina Bliss defeated incumbent Judy Burges and Ryan Cadigan in the Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 1 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Quang Nguyen	40.8	36,832
✔		Selina Bliss	26.8	24,161
		Judy Burges	23.0	20,732
		Ryan Cadigan	9.4	8,450

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 90,175
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Steve Gesell (R)

District 6

See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Arizona House of Representatives District 6 (2 seats)

Mae Peshlakai and incumbent Myron Tsosie won election in the general election for Arizona House of Representatives District 6 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mae Peshlakai (D)	50.9	46,020
✔		Myron Tsosie (D)	49.1	44,378

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 90,398
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 6 (2 seats)

Mae Peshlakai and incumbent Myron Tsosie defeated Deydrek Scott in the Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 6 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mae Peshlakai	43.2	18,066
✔		Myron Tsosie	41.6	17,404
	Submit photo	Deydrek Scott	15.1	6,327

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 41,797
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Ryan Cadigan (R)

Campaign themes

2022

Quang Nguyen did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Ryan Cadigan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Cadigan's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was born in Flagstaff and raised in Sedona Arizona. I graduated from Sedona Red Rock High School and after a few years of being self-employed, I followed in both of my grandfather’s footsteps by enlisting to serve in the United States Navy. I spent just under five years in the Navy until ending my service as a Corpsman working with mental health patients at Naval Medical Center San Diego. While there I earned my Associates of Paralegal Studies and am now using the GI Bill to finish up my Bachelor’s in Political Science at Arizona State University. My continued desire to serve this country has led me to seek office for State Representative of Legislative District 6 in 2022. I consider myself to be an unapologetic Constitutional Conservative, with the goal of helping the people of Arizona get their voice back while preserving the core values that this great state was built upon.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I believe our children are our future, and education reform in Arizona is one of my top priorities.
• Arizona must strengthen our border security and stop the flow of illegal immigrants into this state. The American dream should not be limited to the people fortunate enough to have been born here, but we must curb the flow of illegal immigration and reform our process for legal immigration.
• I will always defend our Constitutional rights, especially as we see more attacks on the First and Second Amendments.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Coming from a family of educators, seeing Arizona consistently rank so low in the nation for education is extremely troubling to me. We, as a state, have to do better when it comes to educating our future generations. We have excellent teachers in our schools, and it is time give them the tools they need and foster an environment that incentivizes teachers to stay in Arizona. Secondly, Arizona has a long history of being one of the best states for protecting our Second Amendment right, and I want to ensure that does not change. Our right to bear arms shall never be infringed upon.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

I personally believe in order to understand how our Founding Fathers were able to form the greatest nation to ever exist, we have to read from the materials they had access to at the time. Reading the works of John Locke and Thomas Hobbs really helps us understand that we are born with unalienable rights, and government is simply in place to protect those rights. Another work that helped me understand why we are a Constitutional Republic is Aristotle's book, 'Politics'. It is amazing how the writings of a man who lived more than 2,000 years ago can still be applied to our modern situations.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Our elected officials must be steadfast in their beliefs and stay true to their values. They must be willing to work with others, but not willing to compromise their own integrity, and always do what is best for their constituents. I believe that far too often our elected officials forget that they work for the people. They are not in office to lead the people, they are there to represent them. Also, I believe transparency is extremely important in today's political climate. The people should be able to wholeheartedly trust that their representative has their best interest at heart, and is acting responsibly on their behalf.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

I believe the core responsibilities of any elected official is to up hold the federal and state constitutions and represent their constituents to the best of their abilities.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I do not necessarily feel the need to leave behind a legacy of my own. I only wish to honor the legacy of those who have gone before me, and ensure that the foundation laid for us by our Founding Fathers is upheld.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The first major historical event I can remember was the terror attacks on September 11th, 2001. I was 9 years old at the time and I was out archery deer hunting up by Flagstaff with my father when we heard about the attack on the radio. Quickly after the radio announcements my father started getting phone calls from family and friends. I was a bit too young to comprehend what was actually happening, but by the time we got home the images of the planes flying into the Twin Towers were all over every media outlet. Seeing this country come together after the attacks is part of what made me such a proud American and gave me the desire to serve my country in any way I could. There were no party lines, just Americans ready to help their neighbor and fight back against the evil that attacked us.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I started my first job back when I was in high school, working for a landscaping company during the summers. That job is high on the list of worst jobs I have ever done but is the one job I am most grateful for when I look back. Working 12-hour days doing landscaping in the Arizona summer sun is brutal, but that job instilled a work ethic in me that will never go away. It taught me the true value of hard work and made me appreciate the value of a dollar. I learned a lot about who I was and who I wanted to be during those blistering hot days shoveling rocks. The experience I gained while working that job led me to starting my own business as a handyman after graduating high school.

What is your favorite book? Why?

I would have to say my favorite book is 'Fearless' by Eric Blehm. The book follows the life of Navy SEAL Adam Brown who overcame addiction and made it into the ranks of the most elite fighting force in the world. His story is an inspiration to anyone who has faced struggles in their life and shows that in the United States you can overcome anything if you are willing to work hard and keep pushing forward.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe that there are some benefits to having experience in government when it comes to understanding the standard operating procedures, but every American has the right to run for and hold office. Our elected officials are put in office to work for and represent their constituents. Just because you have prior experience does not mean you will be better than someone else in that roll. What we need in this country right now in every level of government is honest Americans that will hold true to their values and work to take care of the people, regardless of their history in government or politics.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

I absolutely believe it is important to build relationships with other legislators. We have to be able to sit down and work with each other to find the best path for our state to take in order to best serve the people. Without forming relationships with other legislators on both sides of the aisle it will always be a fight to get anything done. I do not believe that any one person has all the answers, but together we can find the best way forward for the people of Arizona.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

As I stated before, education is one of my top priorities, so I would love the opportunity to serve on the Education Committee. Also, being a veteran myself, it would be an honor to serve on the Military Affairs & Public Safety Committee.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

I truly want to serve my country, and I will do whatever is best for the people of Arizona. If that mean running for higher office I am completely open to the idea. Politicians serve at the pleasure of the people, and I will go wherever the people feel I can best serve them.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Candidate

Arizona House of Representatives District 6

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Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Arizona House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Steve Montenegro

Majority Leader:Michael Carbone

Minority Leader:Oscar De Los Santos

Representatives

District 1

Selina Bliss (R)

Quang Nguyen (R)

District 2

Stephanie Simacek (D)

Justin Wilmeth (R)

District 3

Joseph Chaplik (R)

Alexander Kolodin (R)

District 4

Pamela Carter (R)

Matt Gress (R)

District 5

Sarah Liguori (D)

Aaron Marquez (D)

District 6

Mae Peshlakai (D)

Myron Tsosie (D)

District 7

Walter Blackman (R)

David Marshall (R)

District 8

Janeen Connolly (D)

Brian Garcia (D)

District 9

Lorena Austin (D)

Seth Blattman (D)

District 10

Ralph Heap (R)

Justin Olson (R)

District 11

Junelle Cavero (D)

Oscar De Los Santos (D)

District 12

Patricia Contreras (D)

Anastasia Travers (D)

District 13

Jeff Weninger (R)

Julie Willoughby (R)

District 14

Laurin Hendrix (R)

Khyl Powell (R)

District 15

Neal Carter (R)

Michael Way (R)

District 16

Chris Lopez (R)

Teresa Martinez (R)

District 17

Rachel Keshel (R)

Kevin Volk (D)

District 18

Nancy Gutierrez (D)

Christopher Mathis (D)

District 19

Lupe Diaz (R)

Gail Griffin (R)

District 20

Alma Hernandez (D)

Betty Villegas (D)

District 21

Consuelo Hernandez (D)

Stephanie Stahl Hamilton (D)

District 22

Lupe Contreras (D)

Elda Luna-Nájera (D)

District 23

Michele Pena (R)

Mariana Sandoval (D)

District 24

Anna Abeytia (D)

Lydia Hernandez (D)

District 25

Michael Carbone (R)

Nick Kupper (R)

District 26

Cesar Aguilar (D)

Quantá Crews (D)

District 27

Lisa Fink (R)

Tony Rivero (R)

District 28

David Livingston (R)

Beverly Pingerelli (R)

District 29

Steve Montenegro (R)

James Taylor (R)

District 30

Leo Biasiucci (R)

John Gillette (R)

Republican Party (33)

Democratic Party (27)