Republican ad distorts Mendoza’s tax comments

A new Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) ad uses out-of-context clips to make it appear that Democrat JoAnna Mendoza opposes tax breaks for working Arizonans when she was actually criticizing tax cuts for billionaires.

CLF is a D.C.-based group that spends money on behalf of Republican U.S. House candidates. Mendoza is challenging incumbent Rep. Juan Ciscomani in what is widely regarded as one of the most competitive congressional races in the country.

The ad’s voiceover claims “Mendoza lobbied to make your life more expensive” before playing a clip of Mendoza saying “there should be no new tax cuts, no new tax credits, or sales tax exemptions.” A separate ad from the Ciscomani campaign uses the same clip.

Mendoza made these remarks during a 2020 online forum hosted by the Democrats of Greater Tucson. The clip is from a much longer video where Mendoza correctly states that Republicans pushed to cut funding for social services and public schools to fund tax breaks for wealthy people and big corporations. She then says she will not support more tax cuts that only benefit these elite groups.

“We know that there have been enormous tax breaks and tax cuts for wealthy folks and for corporations,” Mendoza said. “So moving forward, there should be no new tax cuts, no new tax credits, or sales tax exemptions.”

Ciscomani supported the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which made a $1 trillion cut to Medicaid to fund tax breaks that primarily benefit wealthy people. Up to 500,000 Arizonans are expected to lose health insurance as a result of the law.

“JoAnna Mendoza is focused on lower costs and tax cuts for Arizona families, not tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations,” said Kyle McCarthy, a Mendoza campaign spokesperson.