The Arizona Republic

Who’s attending? Arizona’s members of Congress and their guests.

- Sen. Kyrsten Sinema Sen. Martha McSally Rep. Tom O’Halleran Rep. Andy Biggs Rep. Ruben Gallego Rep. Greg Stanton

Members of Congress are granted guest tickets for the president’s State of the Union address, which is happening Tuesday at 7 p.m. Arizona time.

Some lawmakers bring spouses or family members, while others bring guests who reflect their political agenda.

Here are some of this year’s guests of Arizona’s senators and representa­tives: Sinema, a Democrat, is bringing Air Force veteran Bryan Bouchard as her guest.

Bouchard served in the Air Force for more than 20 years and now serves on the senator’s Veterans Advisory Council where he gets to “see her commitment to Arizona’s veterans every day,” he said in a statement. McSally, a Republican, is bringing Isaiah Acosta, a 19-year-old rapper from Phoenix who advocates for Phoenix Children’s Hospital and Children’s Miracle Networks Hospitals.

Acosta was born without a lower jaw. The rapper, who is mute, writes rap lyrics and collaborat­es with other artists to voice them. O’Halleran, a Democrat whose district includes much of the Navajo Nation, is bringing Navajo Nation Vice President Myron Lizer as his guest on Tuesday. Biggs, a Republican, is bringing Art Del Cueto, a Border Patrol agent and vice president of the National Border Patrol Council.

“The Border Patrol plays a vital role in protecting national security, but Congress has allowed their staffing, pay, and resources to dwindle down to alarming numbers,” Biggs said in a written statement. Gallego, a Democrat, is bringing Beth Lewis, a fifth-grade teacher and executive director of Save Our Schools Arizona, as his guest on Tuesday. Stanton, a Democrat, is bringing DACA recipient Ellie Perez as his guest.

Perez was born in Mexico and immigrated to the United States with her family when she was 4 years old. She graduated from Arizona State University and became the first “dreamer” employed by Phoenix, according to a statement from Stanton’s office.

Stanton is a former Phoenix mayor.

Stanton said in a written statement Monday he hopes Trump will use this speech to “appeal to the better angels of our nature and make finding a solution for DREAMers a top priority.”

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