RNC Targets JoAnna Mendoza for Apparent Calls to Decriminalize Prostitution for Transgenders

The Republican National Committee (RNC) is continuing its attacks on JoAnna Mendoza, the Democratic challenger to Representative Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) for Arizona's 6th Congressional District, this time for her apparent support of decriminalizing prostitution for transgender individuals.

Mendoza's Position and the RNC's Response

The New York Post obtained footage from a 2020 interview with Mendoza conducted by Michael Soto, who was director of the LGBT advocacy group Equality Arizona at the time.

Soto had asked Mendoza if she was in favor of decriminalizing prostitution for "trans folks, especially trans women of color," because of apparent discrimination in the "formal job sector."

"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."

Notably, Equality Arizona removed the interview footage from their social media.

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.

Previous RNC Attacks on Mendoza

This is only the latest in a string of attacks on Mendoza that the RNC has conducted since March, when footage from another 2020 interview appears to show Mendoza speaking in favor of defunding police, a claim which the Mendoza campaign denied.

In April, as the controversy surrounding disgraced former Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA) peaked, Mendoza was asked by an interviewer affiliated with the conservative influencer page Conservative War Machine whether she would stop associating with the Swalwell-founded Future Forum PAC, which had provided $1,000 to her campaign.

Finally, in May, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) released its so-called "autopsy" on why it lost the 2024 Election. Reactions from Democratic officials were taken by the RNC as evidence of a lack of self-awareness and suggested that Mendoza would learn nothing from the report.