JoAnna Mendoza Held a Town Hall, and We Wish You Were There

April 28^th was a busy day for JoAnna Mendoza, the Democratic candidate for Congress in Arizona Congressional District 06. From the roundtable discussion with medical professionals in the Murphy-Wilmot Library, she traveled to Vail for a town hall with veterans of our armed forces.

Jo Mendoza answered tough questions from the moderator, such as:

• a veteran’s widow’s concern over cuts to family benefits
• health care for veterans, including cuts to the Southern Arizona Veterans Affairs Healthcare System
• mental health treatment for PTSD
• women veterans dealing with unaddressed trauma from sexual assaults
• the tough transition from active military to civilian life
• vet suicide prevention

She also took questions about government actions in Venezuela, the Caribbean, and the two-month-old Iran war, and the effects of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) on Medicare and Medicaid enrollment.

Jo was impressive in responding to a hard-hitting “gimmie what you’ve got” set of questions from an audience eager for candor and substance. Someone went straight to campaign funding. (Her campaign does not receive funding from AIPAC. We wrote about her campaign funding here.) Another young audience member wanted to know about her decision to serve. Yet another asked about the planned data centers in our area. And another raised AI regulation, which she supports.

When Jo responded, she allowed the audience to learn about her experience and how it would guide her in Congress. She told her own story of looking for a job after deployment to suggest a resource hub for veterans transitioning to civil life. She wants to hold “Congress in Your Community” events via a mobile unit of caseworkers who can resolve constituents’ issues on the spot. When speaking about medical care issues and the VA, she shared that she survived two sexual assaults early in her career. The audience learned right there that she understands how service members and many victims of assault can suffer in silence for years.

Jo clearly stated her views on the Iran war: no funding for wars without congressional approval. She gets that rising gas prices affect rural residents more, because they drive more and need to use large vehicles. She was passionate in her moral indignation about the effects of the OBBBA: how can the richest country on earth have so many starving, homeless people?

Through all of this, Jo Mendoza did not shy from sharing that she didn’t always know what to do. She didn’t always have a concrete proposal in mind yet. She was candid about listening first and developing proposals based on more conversations with the community. Her decision to serve came from poverty; there were no jobs in Eloy when she graduated high school, and the local community college was out of reach without a car. The audience could see how her joining the Navy and, later, the Marine Corps was a good choice. She came across as one who knows well what it is like to have little, what it is like to be uncertain about what to do next, and how Medicaid and food aid helped her as a child. She knows how these programs can help others now – if we prioritize them.   

Since JoAnna Mendoza is running against Juan Ciscomani, one could expect more attacks on him. But no, the audience saw her guiding force and moral stand on ensuring that everyone, particularly those without wealth, should be supported in our country. The only time Ciscomani was mentioned was when Jo highlighted the need for more veterans to serve on the congressional Armed Forces and Veterans’ Affairs committees.

She is a candidate who, instead of focusing on how bad Ciscomani is, talks about how things can improve if she is elected. She recognizes that showing voters a better future is a key to winning the election, and she shows her vision every time she meets with community members. She will hold town halls when elected so that the constituents can keep her accountable for her votes and actions.  

Indivisible Tucson voted to endorse Mendoza in March. She is a candidate we are excited to support to represent all of AZ CD-06. She will continue to hold community events; we urge you to join these to learn more about JoAnna Mendoza and ask her your tough questions. To learn more, visit https://www.joannamendoza.com/; we’ll also post event info and updates.