By Matthew Holloway |
Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani’s (R-AZ06) reelection campaign released a new advertisement Tuesday targeting Democratic challenger JoAnna Mendoza. The ad links Mendoza to Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and highlights Mendoza’s past comments about reallocating police funding.
The advertisement, titled “Radical Allies,” accuses Mendoza and Romero of sharing an approach to policing, taxation, and homelessness that Ciscomani’s campaign says has harmed Tucson. The spot concludes by warning of “fewer police officers,” “more dangerous streets,” and “the same failed radical policies.”
“JoAnna Mendoza has a clear record of undermining support for and trust in local law enforcement – just listen to her in her own words,” Ciscomani said.
Sharing the advertisement in a post to X, Ciscomani wrote, “JoAnna Mendoza is endorsed by Tucson’s Failed, Unpopular Mayor Regina Romero for AZ06.” He added, “ Under Romero’s failed leadership: Police officers and firefighters stretched thin, Homelessness and crime are rampant, Business owners left to pick up the mess.”
Ciscomani said residents of Arizona’s Sixth Congressional District deserve elected officials who prioritize public safety and provide law enforcement agencies with the personnel and equipment needed to protect their communities.
The advertisement describes Romero as a Mendoza ally and cites her endorsement of the Democrat nominee. Romero publicly endorsed Mendoza in July 2020, when Mendoza was running for the Arizona Senate in Legislative District 11.
“JoAnna has demonstrated her lifelong commitment to serving our country and the people of Arizona,” Romero said during the 2020 campaign.
Mendoza thanked Romero for the endorsement and said she had helped with Romero’s successful 2019 campaign to become Tucson’s first female and Latina mayor.
The Ciscomani campaign’s release did not identify a separate endorsement issued by Romero during the current congressional race. Romero is not listed on Mendoza’s current campaign endorsement page, which includes Democrat Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, Attorney General Kris Mayes, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, and several other elected officials and organizations.
Later Tuesday, Romero explicitly endorsed Mendoza in a post responding to Ciscomani, “@JuanCiscomani has failed Tucsonans. He voted to remove SNAP & Medicare benefits from children & seniors to give his billionaire buddies tax breaks. We need leadership that is more interested in results than theatrics. That is why we must retire Juan & elect @Mendoza4AZ.”
Romero referred to Medicare in the post. Congressional Budget Office analyses of the reconciliation law identified Medicaid and SNAP as the principal benefit programs affected by reductions in federal spending.
Romero and Mendoza appeared together in February during a Tucson panel on gun violence with Giffords and Tucson Unified School District Governing Board member Natalie Luna Rose.
The new advertisement also draws from comments Mendoza made during a 2020 town hall hosted by the Arizona Clean Elections Commission and the Arizona Capitol Times amid nationwide protests and disputes over police funding.
“I support the reallocation of funding to programs that would allow people to live their best lives,” Mendoza said when asked whether she supported defunding police, according to a report from Fox News.
Mendoza identified social services, housing, public education, health care, economic stability, and environmental safety among the programs she believed should receive funding.
The Ciscomani campaign also cited Mendoza’s statement that police reform represented “one aspect of the systemic racism” present in the United States. The campaign characterized her support for reallocating funding as an endorsement of the movement to defund police departments.
Mendoza has rejected that characterization. Her campaign told Fox News that she supports providing police with additional resources, including training and body cameras, and said she has repeatedly opposed defunding law enforcement.
“I do not support defunding the police,” Mendoza said during another virtual event in 2020. “Police officers are being asked to do too much.”
Mendoza reiterated that position in an opinion article in the Arizona Daily Star in March 2026 that was republished be her campaign.
“The answer is not to defund law enforcement—it’s to fund law enforcement with intention,” Mendoza wrote.
She called for additional training, body cameras, clear identification, and oversight while expressing support for police officers, Border Patrol personnel, and immigration agents who lawfully perform their duties.
Ciscomani’s campaign also highlighted federal funding the congressman has supported for local public safety agencies. His congressional office said he obtained $4.2 million in Community Project Funding to replace aging Tucson Police Department vehicles.
A January spending package included $809,687 for replacement radios for the Sahuarita Police Department. Ciscomani has also sponsored legislation intended to establish coordination centers where federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies could conduct joint operations.
Ciscomani and Mendoza advanced to the Nov. 3 general election after running without opposition in their respective July 21 primaries. Ciscomani has represented the district since 2023 and won reelection in 2024 with 50.0 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Kirsten Engel by 10,822 votes.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
