JoAnna Mendoza Leans on 2012 DUI in Bid for Arizona's 6th District Seat
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 20
JoAnna Mendoza Leans on 2012 DUI in Bid for Arizona's 6th District Seat
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 20
Summary
JoAnna Mendoza, 49, is making a previously undisclosed 2012 drunken-driving arrest part of her campaign message as she challenges Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani in Arizona's competitive 6th District.
Mendoza said the crash came after heavy drinking tied to trauma from a sexual assault months earlier, and she now frames the episode as the turning point that led her to sobriety and healing.
The retired U.S. Marine is using that personal history to argue resilience in a race Democrats see as critical to winning the House majority in November.
In the tossup district, Mendoza said she expects Ciscomani's side to weaponize the incident against her character and described an already intense campaign environment, including Republican trackers filming her.