Controversy Over Police Funding Stance in Arizona Congressional Race
Reports circulating in right-wing media allege that Democrat JoAnna Mendoza supports defunding the police, despite her consistent advocacy for bolstering police resources.
JoAnna Mendoza, a nonprofit executive and military veteran, is campaigning for a seat in the U.S. House representing Arizona’s 6th District. She aims to unseat Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani, who narrowly won reelection in 2024 by a margin of fewer than 11,000 votes.
On March 4, Fox News reported finding a video from a 2020 town hall where Mendoza allegedly supported reallocating law enforcement funds, a characterization interpreted by the network as promoting “defund the police” sentiments. At the time, Mendoza was running for the Arizona state Senate.
However, the video clip Fox News presented distorts her message. When questioned about addressing systemic racism in policing, Mendoza advocated for enhanced social services as part of a more comprehensive public safety strategy, clarifying that she did not propose cutting police budgets to fund these initiatives. She emphasized the importance of accountability and oversight in law enforcement.
“I support policy solutions that hold officers accountable, such as body cams, ensuring that we have an independent oversight committee for investigations … and also ensuring that we have a database that would capture police officer misconduct,” Mendoza stated, noting these reforms necessitate additional law enforcement resources and have backing from police unions.
She further discussed, “I support the reallocation of funding to programs that would allow people to live their best lives, such as the social service programs such as housing, public education, health care, ensuring that we’re addressing economic stability and environmental safety.”
In a separate town hall, Mendoza clearly stated she does not advocate for defunding the police, emphasizing the similarities between police officers’ oaths and those taken by military personnel.
Conversely, Ciscomani supported the 2023 Limit, Save, Grow Act, which proposed significant cuts to federal law enforcement funding, including $17 billion from law enforcement, courts, and prisons, along with reductions in budgets for Customs and Border Protection and ICE.
This legislation passed the House along party lines but was halted in the Senate by Democratic opposition.
Kyle McCarthy, Mendoza’s spokesperson, dismisses the defunding allegations as “categorically false, a lie, and a political smear from D.C. hacks hoping to save Juan Ciscomani from an early retirement.”
The Cook Political Report classifies the race between Mendoza and Ciscomani as highly competitive, indicating it as a toss-up.
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