A Democratic candidate for Congress in Arizona advocated for decriminalizing prostitution in a since-deleted clip.
JoAnna Mendoza, candidate for the 6th congressional district, said in an uncovered 2020 interview that prostitution needed to be decriminalized, especially for marginalized communities like transgender women of color.
That was the year Mendoza made an unsuccessful bid for the 11th legislative district in the Arizona State Senate. Mendoza lost against Republican State Sen. Vince Leach, now representing the 17th legislative district.
Mendoza said in a now-deleted video interview with the executive director of Equality Arizona at the time, Michael Soto, that social services and healthcare needed to replace arrests. Mendoza reframed prostitution as a means of income, not a crime.
“[We need to be] eliminating the discriminatory practices and laws so that every individual has the opportunity to be able to provide for themselves. We need to stop criminalizing people for their situations,” said Mendoza.
The National Republican Congressional Committee first released the found footage.
⚠️Arizona Democrat Joanna @Mendoza4AZ said “YES” to legalizing prostitution to benefit “trans women of color.”
Mendoza in 2020 interview with far-left group: “Yes…we need to stop criminalizing people for their situations.”
Mendoza also supported the decriminalization of marijuana, and the reduction of funding to police during her 2020 run. The latter issue Mendoza addressed in a Clean Elections Commission town hall event.
Mendoza said police funding should be reallocated to social service programs, such as those that would provide economic stability, environmental safety, healthcare, housing, and public education.
“I support the reallocation of funding to programs that would allow people to live their best lives,” said Mendoza.
Mendoza’s current campaign denied that her support for reallocating police funding was equivalent to defunding the police.
Last week, Mendoza reportedly held a closed-door campaign event with an organization that has advocated for the defunding of police, Reproductive Freedom For All, who has endorsed Mendoza.
Mendoza’s current platform doesn’t mention decriminalizing prostitution or marijuana, nor does it mention defunding the police. Mendoza’s platform provides a general focus on costs, jobs, healthcare, policing, climate, government accountability, veterans, and foreign relations.
Mendoza did provide some specifics on policy in her platform. On immigration, Mendoza advocates for legal pathways to citizenship for those who enter the country illegally while limiting deportations to violent criminals.
Mendoza also supports increased government subsidization in renewable energy and healthcare.
The political action committee founded by Gallego’s former best friend and former Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell, has also provided campaign support to Mendoza.
So far, Mendoza has raised over $5.3 million for her congressional run per Federal Election Commission records.
Beyond the political action committee founded by Swalwell, Mendoza has a slate of other top progressive organization endorsements, including EMILY’s List, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Equality PAC, Jewish Dems, and VoteVets.
Part of Mendoza’s popularity with the LGBTQ+ advocacy groups stems from her personal identity as a bisexual woman.
Mendoza formerly worked for former Democratic Rep. Tom O’Halleran. Mendoza served in the Marines from 1999 to 2013.
Mendoza has also worked for the Arizona Center for Economic Progress and VetsForward.
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The Arizona Police Association endorsed Republican Congressman Juan Ciscomani this week as renewed scrutiny emerged over past comments by Democratic congressional candidate JoAnna Mendoza supporting reallocating police funding.
The endorsement comes as Arizona’s Sixth Congressional District is expected to remain one of the nation’s most competitive House races heading into the 2026 election cycle.
According to a report published by the Arizona Globe, Mendoza is facing renewed criticism following the resurfacing of comments made during a June 11, 2020, debate hosted by the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission for Legislative District 11 candidates.
In footage cited by the report, Mendoza discussed policing and public safety amid the nationwide unrest surrounding policing in 2020.
Q: Would you defund police?
Arizona Democrat JoAnna Mendoza: "I support the reallocation of funding…"
“Seeing a police officer is fear,” Mendoza said during the debate. “There are hundreds of murders at the hands of police brutality.”
The report also cited additional statements attributed to Mendoza criticizing law enforcement and immigration enforcement operations. According to statements circulated by Republican operatives this year and referenced in the report, Mendoza said law enforcement officials “are not going out to catch criminals, as a matter of fact, it’s the complete opposite. And they’re even killing American citizens.”
“Reallocating funds from the police is the same as defunding the police, and everyone with a brain knows that,” RNC spokesman Nick Poche said in a statement, according to the Globe. “Mendoza thinks Arizonans are stupid, but her rabid anti-law enforcement rhetoric speaks for itself, and voters know she’s a defund the police extremist who hates law enforcement.”
The Arizona Globe report stated Mendoza also advocated reallocating portions of police funding toward other community programs during the 2020 debate, aligning with positions associated with the national “defund the police” movement that gained prominence following the death of George Floyd.
Meanwhile, Ciscomani secured the Arizona Police Association’s endorsement this week. In a statement released by the campaign, the organization cited Ciscomani’s record on border security, public safety, and support for law enforcement officers.
Honored to be ENDORSED by the Arizona Police Association during National Police Week! 💙
I’ll always back the men and women who put on the badge and work every day to keep our communities safe. We’re going to keep fighting for safe communities and strong public safety policies… pic.twitter.com/utIVNhTOho
Arizona’s Sixth Congressional District remains one of the key battleground districts nationally as Republicans seek to maintain control of the U.S. House and Democrats attempt to reclaim a majority. Ciscomani first won the seat in 2022 and was reelected in 2024 following closely contested races.
In a district where public safety and border security remain major voter concerns, Republicans are likely to use Mendoza’s resurfaced comments aggressively as they seek to hold the seat in 2026.
As of publication, Mendoza’s campaign had not publicly responded to the resurfaced video or criticism surrounding the remarks referenced in the Arizona Globe report.
Democratic congressional candidate Joanna Mendoza declined to answer questions this week about campaign support from Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and a political action committee founded by former Democratic California Congressman Eric Swalwell.
Mendoza, who is running in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, has publicly highlighted endorsements from both Gallego and Future Forum PAC, a political organization founded by Swalwell.
In a September social media post, Mendoza wrote, “ENDORSEMENT ALERT! Honored to have the support of Future Forum PAC!” She added, “Future Forum is dedicated to empowering the next generation of leaders in Congress, and together we’ll deliver a stronger, fairer future for every family in #AZ06.”
Future Forum PAC was founded by Swalwell, though references to him have reportedly since been removed from the PAC’s website.
Mendoza’s campaign website also prominently displays endorsements from Gallego and Future Forum PAC.
According to Breitbart News, Mendoza declined to answer multiple questions regarding her continued acceptance of support from Gallego and organizations linked to Swalwell following recent allegations against the former congressman.
Arizona Democrat Joanna Mendoza took THOUSANDS from Ruben Gallego & Eric Swalwell's PACs
Mendoza proudly displays their endorsements
But asked about this, she refused to answer as her Democrat supporters FLIPPED OUT
During the exchange, Mendoza was asked whether she still supported Gallego despite his longtime friendship with Swalwell and whether she believed Gallego’s statements that he was unaware of allegations regarding Swalwell’s conduct. Mendoza did not respond to the questions.
“Lobbyist Joanna Mendoza’s website still touts her endorsement from Ruben Gallego and an Eric Swalwell-founded PAC while she refuses to ditch their money,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Ben Petersen said in a statement released alongside video of the exchange. “Mendoza has gone radio silent, but Arizona voters see right through it.”
Swalwell suspended his gubernatorial campaign and later resigned from Congress after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced.
One accuser, Lonna Drewes, alleged during a press conference that Swalwell sexually assaulted her after they met socially in 2018. Drewes said Swalwell offered to help her software business and invited her to public events before the alleged assault.
“He raped me, and he choked me, and while he was choking me, I lost consciousness, and I thought I died,” Drewes said during the press conference, according to the outlet.
“I knew he was married at the time and that his wife was pregnant,” she said. “He was my friend.”
Swalwell has denied the allegations.
Gallego later distanced himself from Swalwell following the allegations. However, Gallego has also faced allegations of misconduct.
Last week, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna said Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s office and Senate ethics officials were reviewing information related to allegations involving Gallego as well as possible campaign finance violations, as reported by CBS News.
Two Democratic candidates have withdrawn from the 2026 race for Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, leaving a single Democrat, JoAnna Mendoza, seeking to challenge Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani.
According to Gila Valley Central, Samantha Severson officially withdrew from the race on Dec. 30, reducing the Democratic primary field to one active candidate in the southeastern Arizona district.
Severson’s departure followed the earlier withdrawal of Johnathan Buma, who announced that he was ending his campaign for the Democratic nomination in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District on Dec. 19.
In a statement to Gila Valley Central, Buma said his decision was not made “in retreat,” but after concluding that his efforts would be better directed outside electoral politics. He said he plans to focus on humanitarian and grassroots initiatives through his work with Project Lost & Found – Voices of Gratitude.
Buma, a former FBI agent, was arrested and charged in March 2025, according to federal court records cited by ABC News. Prosecutors allege Buma printed approximately 130 files from the FBI’s internal network, some of which were marked with warnings indicating the information was protected.
According to the Arizona Republic, Buma publicly criticized the FBI for political bias before leaving the agency and subsequently filed paperwork to run for Congress in May 2025.
The withdrawals by Severson and Buma follow several earlier Democratic exits from the race. Gila Valley Central previously reported that Aiden Swallow dropped out of the congressional contest to pursue a run for the Arizona Legislature. The outlet has also reported that Mo Goldman and Chris Donat withdrew earlier in the cycle.
With the departures of Severson and Buma, JoAnna Mendoza, who ran unsuccessfully for the Arizona Senate in 2020, now remains the only Democrat actively seeking the party’s nomination in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District.
Campaign finance filings indicate that Ciscomani has maintained a fundraising advantage as the race has developed. According to reporting by Arizona Public Media (AZPM), Ciscomani reported a larger cash-on-hand balance than Mendoza in recent Federal Election Commission filings, reflecting the advantages of incumbency.
AZPM noted that Mendoza outraised Ciscomani in the third quarter of 2025, with Mendoza’s campaign reporting roughly $669,000 raised from July through September compared with Ciscomani’s reported period haul of about $458,000, citing Federal Election Commission filings. However, Ciscomani maintained a larger overall campaign reserve due to prior fundraising and transfers from allied political committees.
Arizona’s 6th Congressional District includes Cochise, Graham, and Greenlee Counties, along with portions of eastern Pima County, and has drawn national attention due to its narrow margins. The Cook Political Report currently rates the district as a toss-up for the 2026 election.
In the 2024 general election, Ciscomani defeated Democrat Kirsten Engel by approximately 2.5 percentage points, winning by nearly 11,000 votes, roughly doubling his 2022 margin over Engel.
As of publication, no outlets have reported additional Democratic candidates entering the race following the withdrawals of Severson and Buma.
