JoAnna Mendoza, who is running against Representative Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) in the 2026 midterm elections, was allegedly caught on video in 2020 voicing support for defunding police.
First reported by Fox News, Mendoza said in a 2020 interview with the Arizona Clean Elections Commission and Arizona Capitol Times that "police reform is just one aspect of addressing systemic racism in our nation."
"I support the reallocation of funding to programs that would allow people to live their best lives," Mendoza continued, defining such programs as "social service programs," including "housing, public education, healthcare, ensuring that we are addressing economic stability and environmental safety."
The Mendoza campaign is now denying her previous statements, telling Fox News Digital that she "has been on the record for years that police need MORE resources to do their jobs – not less – including body cameras and training. And she has repeatedly stated that she does not support defunding the police."
"I do not support defunding the police. Police officers are being asked to do too much. They're being asked to address issues because of the lack of resources in our communities," Mendoza clarified in another 2020 interview.
National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Nick Poche responded to Mendoza's comments from 2020, telling Fox News Digital, "There's no way for JoAnna Mendoza to spin her extreme anti-police views, and Arizonans will know that she sides with dangerous criminals over them. If the Democrats think a defund-the-police radical can beat him, they're just plain stupid."
In March 2025, Rep. Ciscomani was ranked the 15th most effective in the House of Representatives and the third most effective among congressional freshmen, having started his first term in 2023 after winning Arizona's 6th Congressional District seat in November 2022.
