With National Police Week coming to a close, radical anti-law enforcement statements from Democrat activist turned congressional candidate JoAnna Mendoza have resurfaced to much scrutiny.
Mendoza, who is running in Arizona’s Sixth District, has had a history of advocating for defunding police departments and heavily criticizing law enforcement. During a debate in 2020, Mendoza made outlandish statements about police, claiming that they “seeing a police officer is fear,” according to the Arizona Globe.
“There are hundreds—hundreds of murders at the hands of police brutality,” Mendoza continued. “Folks no longer trust law enforcement agencies, who by the way have taken an oath to their communities and have clearly violated that oath time and time again.”
Mendoza has also advocated defunding immigration enforcement, saying that she instead supports those funds going to initiatives “that would allow people to live their best lives.” She further called for a “stand down” of ICE, considering it as one of her top priorities should she be elected to office.
Arizona Democrat JoAnna Mendoza wants to put innocent Americans at risk to stop ICE from arresting violent criminal illegal aliens.
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 13, 2026
Mendoza cannot be trusted to protect Arizonans. pic.twitter.com/3i51KRF5dB
"Mendoza is a radical, far-left progressive who wants to defund the police and open the border,” RNC Spokesman Nick Poche told Townhall. “Democrats must be out of their mind if they think anyone pushing these dangerous policies has any chance in November.”
Mendoza, a career Democrat with a background working as a political consultant, is taking on Republican incumbent Juan Ciscomani, considered to be the most effective legislator from Arizona.