CASA GRANDE — This city has seen better days.
Casa Grande's biggest employer, the electric vehicle company Lucid Motors, recently laid off more than a thousand workers at its manufacturing plant in town. Unemployment in the city has steadily ticked up over the past year and a half, from around 4% to 6%.
But at an Aug. 5 news conference at the Frito-Lay manufacturing plant in town, three of the country's top Republicans touted a more optimistic message.
“Life is good here in Casa Grande," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
The small-town visit by Bessent, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, and Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Arizona, was part of an effort by national Republicans to convince a seemingly pessimistic nation that the U.S. economy is on the mend.
Taking questions only from conservative-leaning news outlets, the three men sought to remind local voters about the GOP-led tax cuts enacted last year, answer concerns amid President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs and the conflict in Iran, and convince ordinary Americans to give Republicans another two years to make things better.
“2025 was like setting the table,” Johnson told reporters. “The feast and the banquet in the economy will be in 2026.”
Their optimism contrasted with the prevailing attitude among residents of Casa Grande, a city whose economic fortunes have become hitched to the country's manufacturing sector as it becomes a local production hub.
“There’s a lot of frustration,” Mayor Lisa Navarro Fitzgibbons said in an interview with The Arizona Republic. “People are trying to make ends meet.”
“I don’t think people feel like they’re getting relief,” said Matt Herman, a city council member.
Casa Grande and communities like it are pivotal in determining control of the U.S. House of Representatives starting in 2027. Ciscomani, whose congressional district includes much of southeastern Arizona, is widely seen as one of the nation's most vulnerable sitting Republicans.
The Trump administration is emphasizing the “Big Beautiful Bill" package of tax cuts signed into law in 2025. Bessent said workers he spoke with at the manufacturing plant praised the reforms. A new policy exempting overtime pay from income tax was especially popular, he said.
The situation facing Republicans mirrors challenges that Democrats faced in 2024, when President Joe Biden and his Cabinet sought to cheer up a public beleaguered by inflation and pocketbook issues.
Ciscomani repeatedly emphasized tax cuts and argued the economy is still recovering from damages inflicted by former President Joe Biden.
“We believe that the way to stimulate the economy is letting people keep more of their hard-earned money," he said. "Are there hardships? Are there things that people are struggling with? Absolutely. We don't ignore that. ... But we're definitely on the right track."
Casa Grande battered by economic policy
Initially an agricultural town, Casa Grande has seen a spurt of growth over the last two decades. First came residential growth from Phoenix commuters looking to escape higher prices. Then came industrial development, as manufacturers like Lucid take advantage of the city’s gas pipelines and strategic location between two major metropolitan areas.
Fitzgibbons' parents moved to Casa Grande from Chicago in the 1970s. Her dad specialized in workforce development. Many of her friends’ parents were cotton farmers.
“To think that the most advanced manufacturing is right here in our city: It’s amazing,” she said.
Herman, the city council member, said Casa Grande is doing well compared to other cities, in the grand scheme. Other localities ask them for advice on attracting manufacturers, he said. First it was Frito-Lay chips and Daisy Brand sour cream. Now it’s electric vehicles and semiconductor chemicals.
“People know us now, around the state,” Herman said. “We’re not just ‘the little town down there.’”
The city saw job gains after the pandemic as the electric vehicle company Lucid Motors announced plans to significantly expand its manufacturing campus. But the company has struggled amid shifting winds and sweeping GOP-led cuts to the country's clean energy subsidies.
The recent layoffs weigh on the city.
“It was a pretty big hit," Fitzgibbons said. “A really big hit.”
The hardship showed few signs of abating. The day before Johnson and Bessent's visit, Lucid announced continuing losses across the second quarter of 2026. The company has replaced its chief operating officer.
They aren't the only shop in town affected by economic headwinds. Houseware manufacturer Kohler received a Department of Energy grant to build out clean energy boilers and microgrids at their Casa Grande plant. The Trump administration canceled it.
Michael Hill, general manager of the Cook-E-Jar diner and bakery downtown, called the layoffs a black eye for the company and a source of local anxiety. He described his impression of the city's economic outlook in a word: "Terrible."
Gas prices, canceled subsidies
The midterms will test voters' tolerance for economic pressure.
Herman, who is a registered Republican but holds a non-partisan office, has seen those firsthand managing his family business. His grandfather founded the company as an agricultural supplier. The firm gradually pivoted as the city’s demographics shifted.
Now “Norris RV” is in the recreational vehicle business, selling vacation rentals, repairs and spaces in an RV park. There’s a steady seasonal rhythm: Tourists enjoying Arizona’s pleasant winters, and locals looking to escape the summer heat.
Business is tough these days. RVs are a luxury item for most people, and gas prices have hit hard. Herman said, "Filling up one vehicle’s tank can cost more than 300 bucks."
Herman voted for Trump in 2024 and remains satisfied with the decision.
"I still think he was the better choice," Herman said.
Fitzgibbons, who is a registered Democrat and also holds a non-partisan office, said the city’s nonprofit sector is under strain. The local St. Vincent de Paul is seeing record demand. Some nonprofits have seen their funding cut.
She worries about the state of the economy, especially the impact of tariffs, on the people she represents.
“That’s my biggest fear, is how it’s going to affect employment,” Fitzgibbons said.
Local leaders weigh Ciscomani's record
The "Big Beautiful Bill" set up tough questions for Ciscomani, who had publicly taken issue with some of its more politically sensitive components, especially its cuts to Medicaid and clean energy subsidies.
He warned in a letter to Senate leadership that the budget's reforms “could significantly delay or cancel energy infrastructure projects across the country," but voted for the package anyway.
Fitzgibbons supported preserving the tax credits.
“I understand the national politics and the national decisions that are being made,” she said. “But as a mayor, we are dealing with the day-to-day concerns of the average person in America.”
Herman and Fitzgibbons credit Ciscomani with visiting their city often and bringing back money for local schools, the expansion of the I-10, and funding for Thornton Road nearby. They weren't involved in the Aug. 5 visit, learning about it through media reports, but said they are grateful the House speaker and Treasury secretary are showcasing the city.
Asked whether she was happy with the way Ciscomani has represented the city, Fitzgibbons smiled.
“How do I phrase this politically?” she said. “I appreciate him coming. … But there could have been some votes that could have helped the average person in this community.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Top Republicans push economic optimism in Arizona city hit by layoffs
