Representative Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) is attacking his Democratic challenger JoAnna Mendoza for her previous support of allowing transgender individuals into women's restrooms in a new campaign ad.
The Ad Itself
Posted on X, Rep. Ciscomani wrote, "The contrast couldn't be clearer. JoAnna Mendoza is on record OPPOSING protections for girls' sports & keeping guys out of girls' bathrooms. JoAnna says protecting young girls is toxic. She's too extreme for AZ06. I'm PROUD to stand up and defend girls."
Footage from a 2020 interview with the Arizona Daily Star shows Mendoza describing a bill that would prohibit biological males identifying as transgender from competing in women's sports as "harmful," "toxic," and "takes away from who we are as Americans."
Previous Attacks on Mendoza's Record
This is not the first time Republicans have put Mendoza in their sights, as March saw the Republican National Committee (RNC) bring attention to another 2020 interview where Mendoza seemingly endorsed defunding police, although her campaign has since denied it.
Later in April, Mendoza was asked by an interviewer affiliated with the conservative influencer page Conservative War Machine whether she would stop associating with the Future Forum PAC, a political action committee founded by disgraced former Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA). Mendoza refused to comment.
At the beginning of June, another footage from a 2020 interview showed Mendoza expressing support for decriminalizing prostitution for transgender people, especially transgender women of color.
"Right. Yes. And that's, you know, once again, it's important to ensure that there's access to the resources, the support networks, the social services, access to health care," Mendoza replies in the footage, adding, "We need to stop criminalizing people for their situations."
RNC spokesman Nick Poche said that such a position only proves that "Democrats have a screw loose if they think JoAnna Mendoza's extreme far left views are going to play in Southern Arizona."
"There's literally nothing too radical for Mendoza, who's going all in on legalizing DEI prostitution, a phrase that's never been uttered before," Poche added.
