(The Center Square) - A former long-haul truck driver, who's a Democrat, is trying to win a congressional seat in a deep red part of Arizona.
Bernadette Greene-Placentia, who drove trucks for 27 years and logged more than 4 million miles across America, is attempting to unseat U.S. Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Surprise, in the Nov. 3 midterm election. Hamadeh has advocated for tax cuts, while Greene-Placentia has opposed reductions to spending for Medicare and food assistance.
Since Arizona’s 8th Congressional District was redrawn ahead of the 2012 election, it has become a Republican stronghold, electing only Republicans to Congress and backing GOP presidential candidates. The district consists of parts of Phoenix, Peoria, Surprise and Glendale.
If elected to Congress, one key area the Democrat wants to focus on is lowering the cost of goods and services. With her transportation background, Greene-Placentia told The Center Square she would focus on making truck drivers' broker fees public.
Broker fees are the margin a freight broker keeps between what a shipper pays to move freight and what the broker pays a truck driver or company to haul it. Federal law does not require freight brokers to make their fees publicly known.
Greene-Placentia said these fees “are causing the extremely high cost of transportation fees, which are passed on to the consumers.”
The Democrat said she would try to pass a bill requiring brokers to disclose their fees. She noted disclosing fees would help reduce transportation costs, which would then cut the cost of household goods by 60% to 65%.
If reelected to his second term, Hamadeh told The Center Square that he will focus on ensuring Americans “have more money in their pockets, the government [getting] out of their way” and advocating for an America First agenda domestically and internationally.
One Big Beautiful Bill Act
In Congress, Hamadeh has supported tax-cutting policies such as HR 1, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed in 2025.
HR 1 implemented tax cuts for Americans, such as no tax on tips or overtime, and supporters said it helped alleviate the federal government’s fiscal mismanagement.
Greene-Placentia criticized HR 1, saying it cut Medicare and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, traditionally known as food stamps.
She questioned what parts of HR 1 have helped people living in District 8.
She said she would support policies that cut taxes for working-class people. However, she noted she doesn’t support the Trump tax cuts because they are only benefiting millionaires and billionaires.
The Democrat said the no-tax-on-tips is a “great slogan,” but it applies only to people who can deduct up to $25,000 in reported qualified tips.
She said the tax-on-tips is hardly helping anybody.
Hamadeh said people in District 8 have told him that they have benefited from the no-tax-on-tips policy.
Border security
Regardless of which party controls the House after the Nov. 3 election, Hamadeh said he will advocate for strong defense policies.
He said he wants to codify Trump’s executive orders on the border and ensure the Department of Homeland Security is well funded so America “can never open [its] borders like [the country] did under the Biden and Obama administration.”
Hamadeh told The Center Square that “illegal aliens should not be allowed in our country" and that the U.S. should continue its deportation efforts.
Greene-Placentia previously told The Center Square that she supported America securing its border “without sacrificing our humanity.” Her campaign website says she backs a pathway to citizenship for noncitizens already in America.
Housing
This year, Hamadeh voted for the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which banned large institutional investors who own more than 350 single-family homes from buying more, streamlines parts of the regulatory process and modernizes federal housing programs. Congress passed the legislation, which was signed by President Donald Trump. It became a law on July 11.
Greene-Placentia called the 21st Century Housing Act a “good start,” but said it was not enough. She suggested capping how much people can bid on a home. For example, she said if a home cost $300,000, allow bids up to 10% above the asking price.
“When we eliminate [investors’] ability to outbid [home buyers], then all of a sudden a lot more people will be able to afford to buy homes,” she noted.
She added she supported lowering interest rates because they are “pricing out a lot of people” from purchasing a home.
Foreign policy
Hamadeh and Greene-Placentia have different ideas about how taxpayer money should be spent on the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran.
Hamadeh said he supports giving American taxpayer money to Israel for its conflict with Iran.
America is committed to providing aid to Israel, the congressman said. He noted America pledged $3.8 billion annually to Israel under a security agreement that runs through Fiscal Year 2028. Congress votes on the funds each year.
Hamadeh said America’s Arab allies receive more funding than Israel and described the aid America gives to Israel as “a rounding error in terms of the actual budget of the United States,” which was $7.4 trillion in FY 2026.
“ I'm going to continue to advocate for a strong America First foreign policy. But an America First foreign policy doesn't mean it's America alone,” he noted.
America needs to make sure its allies have the resources they need, while also helping them become self-sufficient, he explained.
Hamadeh co-sponsored a resolution in June that would shift America from giving direct military aid to Israel after Fiscal Year 2028 to one where America and Israel’s relationship is built on mutual investment, trade and weapons development. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a letter supporting the resolution.
Hamadeh said he does not support giving American taxpayer money to Ukraine. He voted against a 2026 bill that would have given Ukraine $1.3 billion of taxpayer money.
“I think there needs to be a resolution for this [war],” he noted, adding that America has spent a lot of money to help Ukraine in its defense against the Russian invasion. America has spent nearly $200 billion in taxpayer money on the Ukraine-Russia war.
Greene-Placentia said she does not support giving American taxpayers’ money to Israel for military efforts against Iran. She said America needs to fully withdraw from the conflict, noting the Strait of Hormuz needs to be reopened.
Greene-Placentia said America should revisit the Iran nuclear deal that President Barack Obama signed with the Middle Eastern country in 2015.
Greene-Placentia also said she supports giving American tax dollars to Ukraine as well as weapons and tools it needs to defeat Russia.
“Russia is our enemy,” she noted.
The Democrat added that "Biden made a mistake” by not giving Ukraine everything it needs to defeat Russia when the Russian invasion started in 2022.
Campaign contributions
According to Federal Election Commission records, Hamadeh has raised $1.2 million for his campaign, compared to Greene-Placentia’s $209,358.
Hamadeh has the cash-on-hand advantage: $384,185 to $190,394.
FEC records show the Republican has received $377,528 from Bold Era JFC, a joint fundraising committee associated with Hamadeh, and large sums from Winred, a Republican online fundraising platform.
Greene-Placentia has not received money from political action committees. She has relied on small-dollar donations, with the biggest donation being $2,500.
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