Republicans push ‘defund the police’ lie about Jo Mendoza

Right-wing media outlets are reporting that Democrat JoAnna Mendoza advocated for defunding law enforcement, even though she made no such remark and has actively pushed for increasing police resources.

Mendoza is a nonprofit leader and military veteran running for the U.S. House in Arizona’s 6th District. She is challenging incumbent Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani, who was reelected in 2024 by fewer than 11,000 votes.

Fox News claimed on March 4 that it had “unearthed” video of Mendoza backing the reallocation of law enforcement funds to other government programs, which the network characterized as a push to “defund the police.” The video was from a 2020 town hall event when Mendoza was running for state Senate.

The clip Fox News used, however, is misleading. Mendoza was asked how she would address systemic racism in law enforcement. She said increased funding for social services should be part of a holistic approach to public safety, but she did not say she would cut police funds to pay for it. In fact, she said the opposite.

“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 said.

All of these reforms would require increased resources for law enforcement and are generally popular with police unions.

“I support the reallocation of funding to programs that would allow people to live their best lives,” Mendoza continued. “Such as the social service programs such as housing, public education, health care, ensuring that we’re addressing economic stability and environmental safety.”

Mendoza explicitly stated that she did not support defunding the police during a different town hall event in the same campaign.

“I do not support defunding the police,” Mendoza said. “You know police officers take oaths to protect and serve their communities much like military service members. Much like the oath that I took many, many years [ago].”

Ciscomani, conversely, backed the 2023 Limit, Save, Grow Act, which proposed a $17 billion cut in federal funding for law enforcement, courts, and prisons. The bill also would have cut $3.8 billion in funding for Customs and Border Protection and nearly $2 billion from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The Limit, Save, Grow Act passed the House with only Republican votes. It was blocked by Democrats in the Senate.

Kyle McCarthy, a spokesperson for Mendoza, said any claim that she wants to defund the police “is 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, which analyzes the competitiveness of political races, says the contest between Mendoza and Ciscomani is a toss-up.