“I came from a family of farmworkers. My parents worked in the cotton fields of Eloy, Arizona and I worked alongside them from a young age. These experiences shaped me. They taught me how hard it is to make a dollar and why protecting programs that help struggling families is essential.”

(Blog for Arizona: Marine Vet JoAnna Mendoza Makes a Bold Case for Congress in CD6)

“I met the standards when I became a US Marine Corps Drill Instructor. And I EXCEEDED that standard when I was chosen as one of only two women to train other drill instructors during three tours of two combat zones. So if Pete has a problem with women serving our country, then just wait until he finds out the women veterans will be the ones to flip the House to Blue come 2026”

(Responding to Pete Hegseth’s new military standards https://joannamendoza.com)

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To hear directly from candidate Mendoza, watch this short video:

Mendoza For Congress - Lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way

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BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE

Mendoza is the oldest of five children in a family of farmworkers. She grew up helping her parents pick cotton in Eloy, Pinal County. At 17 she enlisted in the Navy for two years. She then served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 18 years, including two deployments in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. The focus of her work and training was influenced by her sexual assault by her platoon sergeant.

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Mendoza became a drill sergeant to help trainees understand what it means to be a Marine. She retired from the Marines with the rank of gunnery sergeant, a role similar to chief of operations.

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Mendoza received a BA from the America Military University in 2013, an MS degree from the Grand Canyon University in 2019, and a Masters’ from Arizona State University in ‘23. After her retirement, Mendoza worked in Veteran Advocacy roles and ran for state senator in 2020. She was deputy district director of the US House and the campaign manager for Tom O’Halleran in 2022.  Mendoza is a single mother who is part of the Latina and LGBTQ communities.

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ON THE ISSUES

 JoAnna Mendoza lists five priorities in her current campaign:                        

1. Working Families: Prioritizes policies supporting working families over corporate interests

2. Veterans’ Rights: Advocates for more support services and better access to healthcare

3. Democracy and Governance: Committed to protecting democracy and fighting authoritarianism

4. Immigration Reform: Supports comprehensive immigration reform to balance border security and human dignity

5. Education and Rural development:    Supports investment  in economic opportunities for local residents.

 

POLITICS IN ARIZONA

Democrats currently hold the statewide offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general, while Republicans control both houses of the state legislature. At the federal level, both U.S. Senators are Democrats, but six of Arizona’s nine U.S. House seats are represented by Republicans.

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Arizona’s 6th Congressional District is located in the southeastern corner of the state, with most of its population concentrated in the suburbs surrounding Tucson. In 2024, Donald Trump carried the district by a narrow 1-point margin, and Republican incumbent Juan Ciscomani won re-election over Democrat Kirsten Engel by 2.5%. Ciscomani was first elected to the seat in 2020.

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Both the Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball currently rate the race as a Likely Republican.

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