AZ Democrat Mendoza Scrubbed Social Media on Policing, Racism and LGBTQ Issues Before Congressional Run

Democratic congressional candidate JoAnna Mendoza removed social media posts discussing police funding, systemic racism and LGBTQ+ issues before launching her campaign against Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, according to an Arizona Republic review of archived internet records.

The Sept. 24 report documented deleted posts dating to Mendoza’s unsuccessful 2020 Arizona Senate campaign, including statements advocating police reform and reallocating funding to other public services. Mendoza, a Marine Corps veteran, launched her congressional campaign in early 2025.

Responding to the report in a post to X, Ciscomani wrote, “JoAnna Mendoza is dishonest and hiding the truth by trying to delete her past. She doesn’t want AZ06 to know her extreme comments and positions that define who she is and what she would do. JoAnna – the voters in the district deserve to know why you scrubbed all your social media before running for Congress?”

JoAnna Mendoza is dishonest and hiding the truth by trying to delete her past.

She doesn't want AZ06 to know her extreme comments and positions that define who she is and what she would do.

JoAnna – the voters in the district deserve to know why you scrubbed all your social…

— Juan Ciscomani (@JuanCiscomani) September 24, 2026

In one deleted post, Mendoza criticized a political cartoon shared by her then-opponent, Republican state Sen. Vince Leach, that mocked calls to defund the police. She linked to a Blog for Arizona article quoting her as saying, “Police reform and reallocation of funding to public education, healthcare, and other public service programs are long overdue.”

Another deleted post, dated June 19, 2020, accused police of operating like an occupying army.

“Militarizing our police has taken the form of an occupying army which has resulted in aggressive policing & needless death,” Mendoza wrote, according to the Republic’s report. 

Mendoza also explicitly rejected defunding police during a 2020 candidate forum cited by the Republic.

“I do not support defunding the police,” she said. “I support ensuring that they have the resources. But there also needs to be some accountability.”

Her remarks included support for investigations into deadly force, body cameras and de-escalation training. She said officers were being asked to handle too many responsibilities because communities lacked resources, the Republic reported.

During a September debate, Mendoza called Ciscomani “dishonest” after he said she “has a record of being endorsed by defund the police,” according to the newspaper.

The National Republican Congressional Committee responded Thursday by accusing Mendoza of attempting to conceal her political views.

“Far-left lobbyist Joanna Mendoza called our police officers ‘an occupying army,’ lobbied to raise taxes on groceries and cheated on her own taxes. Mendoza scrubbing her social media showed she knows how toxic her far-left views are with voters,” NRCC spokesman Director Ben Petersen said. In a separate post to X, he called the move a “SWEEPING PURGE.” 

"SWEEPING PURGE:" Major new scandal impacting Arizona Democrat Joanna Mendoza

👉Mendoza mass-deleted YEARS of far-left social media posts before launching her campaign

Mendoza called AZ police officers "an occupying army" & called for a "reallocation of funding" pic.twitter.com/9UBnkmW51V

— Ben Petersen (@bennpetersen) September 24, 2026

The deleted material also included a January 2020 post supporting a proposal to allow a nonbinary designation on Arizona driver’s licenses. “This is long overdue,” Mendoza wrote, adding “#InclusionMatters,” according to the Republic.

Another removed post noted by the outlet marked the anniversary of the World Health Organization’s declassification of homosexuality as a mental disorder and urged followers to oppose homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. She wrote, “Let’s take a stand against homophobia, biphobia, & transphobia!”

Mendoza has continued posting about LGBTQ+ issues during her congressional campaign, including commemorating the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and promoting an endorsement from an organization supporting LGBTQ+ women, the newspaper reported.

The Republic also identified an archived October 2020 repost from Vote Mama that read, “RT if you’ve also had to tell a privileged cis man, ‘I’m speaking.’” That repost subsequently disappeared from Mendoza’s timeline, while some other posts from the same period remained available.

Mendoza’s campaign did not respond to the Republic’s requests for comment. The report documented changes in her public messaging and said her position on policing had remained consistent.