Battle Tested JoAnna Mendoza Answers the Call to Serve and Help Achieve the American Dream and Save Democracy for Arizonans in AZ CD Six

Retired Marine Drill Instructor JoAnna Mendoza is ready not just talk-the-talk but walk-the-walk in her mission to become the next United States Representative from Arizona’s House Sixth Congressional District. If elected, Mendoza will be the first Hispanic-American woman to represent Arizona in Congress and the first female Marine to ever serve in Congress. 

A twenty-year Marine Veteran battle-tested after serving tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Ms. Mendoza is again answering the call to serve, launching her campaign nearly two years ahead of the 2026 elections because “It’s never too early to save Democracy.”

“Dedicated to serving the communities that shaped her values,” Mendoza, if elected, will work tirelessly to advance her constituents’ interests and help them achieve the American Dream. 

She will also work to safeguard climate security, protect the Biden-Harris infrastructure investments in the Grand Canyon State, fight Musk/Trump/Vance corruption, and champion policies that expand the middle class and lift working families out of poverty. 

Ms. Mendoza graciously took the time to discuss her candidacy for Arizona’s Sixth Congressional District. 

The questions and her responses are below. 

Please tell the readers at least two reasons you would like to run for the Arizona House Seat in Congressional District Six. 

“There are many reasons. I was born and raised in Pinal County. I grew up in Eloy. Both my parents were farm workers. This is where I’m currently raising my son. I live in rural Southern Arizona, in Red Rock. So, what happens in this District is important to me, not just because it impacts my livelihood but also my family and friends. For me, jumping into this race is about continuing my service. I spent 20 years in the military. I retired from the Marine Corps in 2016 and then went on to do meaningful work in Congressman Tom O’Halleran’s (AZ-01) office in his local district office. My life has been centered around public service and serving, whether it’s the country, the constituents of this District, or the rural communities in which I grew up. I firmly believe that the oath of service that I took almost 30 years ago does not expire. I’m jumping in to answer the call to serve again because we desperately need leaders who will stand up to this tyrannical administration.”

“The second reason is that we must return trust and accountability to our government. Many issues are being highlighted that aren’t fully addressing the struggles that working families are facing – like the rising cost of housing, groceries, and gas. I mean, everything is getting so expensive. And here we are fighting about things that don’t help put a roof over people’s heads or food on the table. So, I would say those two are the big reasons why I am running.”

“We have a saying in the Marine Corps: “Lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way. I’m working to get the representative who isn’t doing anything to help lift people out of poverty out of the way.”

Why should the people in the district pick you over the current incumbent?

“Well, the incumbent isn’t doing his job. He isn’t standing up for the working families in Arizona. He claims he’s fighting for the American Dream, but I have fought for the American Dream. I earned the honor of wearing the colors of our nation. I wore a military uniform for a little over 20 years. I have done two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, and I understand people’s daily struggles. I come from a family of farm workers. I grew up in poverty. We need people who have these lived experiences. Someone who has had to fight their way out of poverty, who has had to struggle, is going to fight harder for you than anyone else because they understand what it means to go without.”

In your opinion, what are at least three issues that you will run on to earn the Democratic nomination and then win in the general election in 2026? There may be follow-up questions based on the response. 

“I’m also really concerned about our national security. What is troubling right now is that we are seeing people who have not been elected and are ransacking US government agencies and obtaining personal private information. Now, they’re at the VA doing the same thing, and quite frankly, I’m not only alarmed, but I’m freaking pissed off. There are security protocols that people have to go through to make sure that they are not working for foreign adversaries. And right now, we are allowing a billionaire to ransack our agencies for information. That, to me, weakens our national security.

Another critical issue is climate security and being good stewards of our environment. We have seen an increase in wildfires yearly; these are getting worse. If we don’t address these disasters, we’re putting ourselves in a vulnerable position, making us a target for our adversaries. So, environmental security is national security. 

The other thing is to address the concerns of the constituents and working families in this District. People are struggling to pay for rent or a mortgage and can’t even buy a house anymore because it is so expensive to own a home. Part of the American Dream was to be able to buy a home with a white picket fence, have a good job, have the opportunity to earn a livable wage, and stay at that job for 30 to 40 years until you retired. People can’t do that now. Why? Because we’re allowing billionaires to benefit off the backs of working people. Corporate tax cuts and tax cuts for billionaires are making the rich richer, and who’s taking the brunt of this burden to keep this country going? Working people like you and I. Working people who have to get up every day have to answer to their boss, grind it out at work, and figure out how they’ll pick up their kids from school. Child care is expensive, like all of these things. We need to address those issues because people should not be struggling. They shouldn’t be trying to survive. We should be thriving right now. We’re the greatest country in the world, and we still have homeless people. That does not make sense to me.”

There are proposals for tax cuts on tips and overtime. Is that something you would support to help people have more disposable income?

“We need to ensure that everybody pays their fair share of taxes. We need to start at the top, addressing those who are getting by with paying too little or no taxes, and work our way down. We should not be putting additional burdens on working families. We should start at the top. We need to stop giving tax cuts to the rich!”

Border security and immigration reform. 

“This District is a border district, and there’s a lot of talk always about building a wall and, now, mass deportation. There is a veteran who has been deported and is currently being held in Florence right now at the detention center. To me, this is just insane. I find it very difficult to believe again, as the most powerful nation, as a nation that has been a leader in so many different things that we cannot figure out how to address the immigration issue; it’s mind-blowing. First and foremost, we don’t need to overwhelm our agents, police, or first responders with additional work. We have to keep Americans safe, but there is a way to do that which meets the objective of catching criminals and is compassionate – so that people aren’t being profiled or targeted. I have been very concerned about this because of my family. I have conversations with my family almost daily about ensuring they take their driver’s licenses when they go somewhere. Because they may be stopped, and if they don’t have any identification, they can be detained. That’s a huge issue, so we need to address these border security with innovation, intelligence, and technology.”

What does it say about your opponent and his party that they have not done anything to advance bipartisan immigration reform in the last 20 years?

“It says that it’s time for him to go. If you invite a clown, expect a circus. Like I’ve said, supposedly, he’s fighting for the American Dream, but I don’t see that. Fighting for the American Dream means standing up against policies that would harm the people that you’ve been elected to represent. Currently, we are seeing regression. I feel like we’re going back. We’re not moving forward. That’s problematic. If we want to continue to be one of the most powerful and influential nations in the world, we have to start acting like adults instead of all this back and forth and bickering. We need to address the issues impacting Americans at every level, whether it’s national security or the prices of groceries.”

Please explain at least two ways your campaign will win over Independent and Moderate Republican voters as well as Democrats that may have stayed on the couch in the last election and didn’t show up. How will you win over those voters? 

“By having a very common-sense community first approach. People have asked why we are starting a campaign in February. What’s going on? We’re not waiting for the (Democratic) party. We’re not waiting for anyone to give us permission to launch this campaign. Another saying we have in the Marine Corps is that prior planning prevents piss poor performance. We’re always late to the game. We’re always late for parties, which has been part of our problem. We need to get started early, build a strong foundation, and talk to as many folks as possible to get our message out. This district isn’t small. It’s a large district with many different geographical areas, from rural to the suburbs to a small portion of the city.

Second, it’s ensuring that people understand what this campaign is about. We need to have a 1-on-1 in a very conversational tone about how these policies that we’re seeing right now are impacting their lives and what they can do to change it. I think just having a normal conversation means you don’t need to get fancy, you don’t need to get wrapped around the policy, but talk to people, just be a human being, for crying out loud.

I have roots in the District. I was born here. This is personal for me. I also think that my story will resonate with people. We’ve seen rich politicians running for elected office who don’t understand what it’s like to struggle or say they’re fighting for the American Dream and then not doing anything. Talk is cheap. Can you walk the walk? That’s what we want to see. So anyway, all that to say is that we will talk to lots of people. Somebody asked me a couple of days ago “What kind of Democrat are you going to be?” And I said, “Let me stop you right there.” I don’t like being put in a box, and I don’t like labels. This is part of the problem. As soon as you say, I’m a Democrat, I’m a Republican, or I’m an independent, people automatically put you in a box. We need to get away from that.  My approach is: let’s figure out how to get things done.“

Please explain at least two ways, your campaign will reach out to voters who normally do not pay attention to politics. One of the polls that came out in the last election, was that the less informed the voter, the more support for Donald Trump. And the more informed, the voter, the more support for Kamala Harris. How will you reach out to people that normally do not pay attention to these races?

“Well, we need to take these polls with a grain of salt because they can change quickly. But I would like to see Democrats ensuring that they are connecting with working folks. We have gotten away from that. This agitates people. Not everybody has time to follow politics, either. People are working three to four jobs because they’re not making a livable wage and don’t have time to sit there and engage in politics. They don’t have time to figure out what these messages are, especially if they’re being presented in a very policy-heavy language; it confuses people. And then people don’t want to get involved. I know this because I talked to my family about it, and we constantly go back and forth. I sit down with my mom; we go through the candidates on the ballot. I explain the propositions, and we talk about the candidates’ positions. We need to ensure that we’re talking to people now, not three or two months from the election. That has been very problematic, particularly in rural communities, Native American communities, and marginalized communities. And we need to do better.”

We must also avoid political jargon and talking points so that everyone understands what’s happening. Our messages need to be honest, direct, clear, and concise. We also need to get out and have events. I can’t remember the last time Ciscomani had a town hall.

You mentioned the disconnect Democrats have with working-class voters. The policies of Democrats favor the working class and middle class whereas the other side their policies. I mean the budget blueprint they just released yesterday in Congress.  I wrote an article just today saying it’s robbing for it’s stealing from the poor to give to the rich. I guess the question and it goes back to the informed and reaching out. How do you repair that disconnect? 

“That’s a great question, and I don’t know if I have the ultimate solution, but I do think that we need to connect with folks for input, and I don’t think that always happens at a higher level. Sometimes, in theory, these talking points and many of these policy points sound good. But in practice, it’s hard to implement and understand. You just talked about this budget they’re introducing, and they want to increase the deficit. And you know, all of these tax cuts are going to benefit rich people. Part of the problem is whether people have time to review the document. Do you think someone working three jobs and with school-age kids has time? It could be 6 p.m., and they have to get dinner ready, get the kiddos showered, and put them to bed. And then, by the end of the day, they want to lay their head down and sleep because they have to turn around and do it all over again. Who has time for that?

There’s always room for improvement, and we need to check the temperature on the ground to ensure that we understand what’s going on. If we propose something we’re considering, especially marginalized communities, we do the due diligence to host surveys and determine how people feel about these information sessions. We can always do things to improve that, but we need to start now. The other day, I called someone, and I was introducing myself and, of course, talking about all the things that I stand for and my background, and they said, “Well, you know, I would support you, but it’s too early. Why have you launched early?” My response is “It’s never too early to save democracy.”

Is there anything that is covered in the first four questions that you like the readers to know about your candidacy for the House of Representatives? Please explain. 

“I am from this District. I was born and raised here. I live in a rural community. I understand the struggles of working people. I have worked in government. I have served this constituency and my country, and I want to bring common-sense solutions that will address the issues for working people. People are living in poverty, and there’s no reason for them to be in that situation when our country has been giving massive tax cuts to billionaires. We need to prioritize the people of this country. They talk about making America great again, but we need to be focused on making sure that the American people can thrive and go beyond surviving. When people thrive, and working families do well, we, as Americans, do well. So, with that, I ask folks to check out my website atwww.joannamendoza.com and follow us on social media. Feel free to contact our team; we are happy to chat with you!