Opinion: Why ads against JoAnna Mendoza distort her plans

Democratic congressional candidate JoAnna Mendoza has faced lies and distortions in her campaign for the CD6 House seat. Incumbent Juan Ciscomani has resorted to exaggerations to defend his voting alignment with President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, allied PACs have flooded the airwaves with false attacks against Mendoza.

Before we debunk those claims, let's make a clear distinction. Mendoza, a 20-year Navy and Marine veteran, is a moderate Democrat who’ll serve the district’s people. Republican Ciscomani is extreme in his unquestioning support of Trump and will continue to vote with Trump.

One TV commercial claims Mendoza opposes tax cuts. Not true. What she has said is that tax breaks should help working families — not Trump’s billionaire donors. The TV ad conveniently removed a reference in her quote to “wealthy folks” and “corporations,” twisting her position.

Another ad claims Mendoza wants to defund the police. Not true.

Mendoza supports full funding for law enforcement and a professional, accountable Border Patrol. As she stated in her TV debate with Ciscomani, she believes border barriers make sense in certain areas. However, she condemned the destruction of sacred Tohono O’odham lands. Mendoza also denounced ICE’s actions have resulted in wrongful arrests and deaths of U.S. citizens.

Mendoza wants the war with Iran to end — not only because it’s driven up gas and diesel prices, but because she’s been in combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan and seen its effects. She doesn’t want to see more service members die. Twenty-one Americans already have.

Ciscomani has voted continuously against House efforts to require Congress’ approval before continuing military operations. He argues that Trump has been the only president to direclty dismantle Iran’s infrastructure, though under President Barack Obama, Iran agreed to continuous monitoring, short-notice inspections and limits on enrichment and stockpiles.

When asked about rising prices, Ciscomani falsely blames Joe Biden. He then claims savings from the 2025 “Big Beautiful” Act, or HR1, offset today’s higher costs — not true for the vast majority of people.

Consider his Oct. 10 quote in the Star: “Not taxing people on overtime, not taxing people on their Social Security, extending the child tax credit — these are all things that put more money in people’s pockets…”

Mendoza agrees tax cuts are beneficial, but says other measures have overwhelmed the reductions. Take the child tax credit. It increased the credit by $200 per child. However, HR1 struck a disastrous blow to low-income families.

More than 400,000 Arizonans — including roughly 180,000 children — have lost SNAP benefits (similar to food stamps) following implementation of the law. HR1 will also sharply cut the number of recipients eligible to receive Medicaid (AHCCCS in Arizona).

The cuts, Mendoza warns, will devastate hospitals that rely on AHCCCS coverage. Rural hospitals in CD6 are already curbing services. “It’s like bringing a glass of water to a fire that you started,” Mendoza told Ciscomani in their debate.

HR1 eliminated taxes on tips and overtime temporarily – helpful for a slice of eligible residents. About 3% of U.S. workers benefit from the tips deduction , and roughly 10% benefit from the OT deduction, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.

Ciscomani’s wording about Social Security is, again, untrue. It suggests all seniors no longer pay taxes on their monthly checks. HR1 didn’t erase Social Security taxes for anyone. Instead, certain seniors got a tax deduction.

Bottom line: Low- and middle-income households received only modest gains from HR1. The ultra-rich, however, reaped massive benefits. The top income tax rate stayed at 37%, instead of reverting to 39.6%. The corporate tax rate is now 21%, rather than 35%, under a 2017 act. Estate tax revisions allow bigger fortunes to pass to heirs tax-free. And more.

Ciscomani voted for these windfall benefits. It once again makes the distinction clear: Ciscomani is for Trump and his actions. Mendoza is for the people. She’ll have your back. Vote Mendoza.