Gallego-Backed Candidate JoAnna Mendoza Remains Silent On Allegations Against The Arizona Senator
By Staff Reporter |
Congressional candidate JoAnna Mendoza is staying silent on new allegations against her fellow Democrat, Sen. Ruben Gallego.
Gallego has been accused of engaging in sexual relationships with at least two congressional staffers which were believed to have occurred between his two marriages. These allegations were detailed in an exclusive report by the New York Post lastweek.
According to three anonymous sources cited by the outlet, Gallego had sexual relationships with two staffers working under Democrat members of Congress from Texas while he was in the House. Members of Congress may not have relationships with their own staffers; though the rules don’t prohibit staffers of other offices, some questioned to what degree consent was possible due to Gallego’s position of authority.
Gallego divorced his first wife Kate Gallego, mayor of Phoenix, in early 2017. He married his second wife, Sydney Barron Gallego, in 2021.
Gallego was elected to the Senate last year.
While other Democrats have made a point to go public with disavowals of those elected officials and candidates facing allegations of sexual impropriety — like Gallego’s longtime best friend Eric Swalwell, or a Senate candidate he endorsed and defended, Graham Platner — Mendoza has not commented on these new allegations.
Mendoza’s campaign received over $7,000 from Gallego through his Juntos PAC as well as the Future Forum PAC, a political action committee involving him and Swalwell. She has expressed their support of her as a point of pride for her campaign, though she declined to disavow Swalwell.
Swalwell faces accusations of sexual misconduct, sexual assault, and rape.
Mendoza has a spotty past with romantic relationships as well. The professed bisexual combat veteran and “single mom by choice” was married for two weeks to a Syrian national, Tariq Alrawwass, according to marriage records obtained by the Daily Mail earlier this month.
Mendoza and Alwrawwass reportedly married in Syria: a fact that raised questions over how the two met, since Mendoza was between enlistments and had not yet served overseas as part of her military service. A March 2001 court filing by Mendoza noted that Alrawwass had relatives in California at the time, and indicated that he could have either been in Syria or the U.S.
Marriage records further reflect that Mendoza and Alrawwass wed in April 1998, about three years after Mendoza had left the Navy and one year before she joined the Marine Corps.
Mendoza’s court records, filed in California, stated that she returned to the U.S. in May 1998, describing it as approximately one week after her marriage, though she didn’t file for divorce until October 2000. A court granted a default divorce judgment several months after Mendoza filed that declaration of her separation from Alrawwass.
Also in recent weeks, Mendoza made headlines for using her official campaign account on Instagram to follow multiple accounts dedicated to erotica and witchcraft. Among those Mendoza followed was former Arizona Democratic Party (ADP) leader Brianna Westbrook, the first openly transgender candidate for federal office in Arizona.
Westbrook’s Instagram profile is public and displays BDSM content and links to Westbrook’s sexual services as his alter ego, Harley DeVil. Westbrook was a former ADP vice chair, congressional candidate, and Democratic nominee to a seat in the state legislature. He was arrested earlier this month for an alleged violent home invasion of a former romantic partner.
Citing these recent and past actions, the Republican National Committee questioned whether Mendoza was fit for elected office. A statement from RNC spokesman Nick Poche said Mendoza’s hesitation to condemn Swalwell and Gallego raised concern.
“Mendoza keeps finding herself connected to the weird, the bizarre, and the downright disgusting,” said Poche. “If she refuses to condemn Gallego and reject his endorsement, Mendoza is endorsing his behavior.”
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