Can this Marine Flip a Border Seat?

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0:53When I got Joanna Mendoza on the line last week, I was struggling with a cold. But she? She was feeling pretty good.

1:01JoAnna Mendoza: I don't know if you saw, but Cooks just moved our race from a toss-up to a lean D. Wow.

1:12Joanna is running for Congress in Arizona, the 6th District. And like she said, her race is tight. If she wins, she will oust a two-term Republican, Juan Siskimani. Joanna has never held public office before. But she does know about fighting. She's a retired Marine.

1:30JoAnna Mendoza: I had the honor and privilege of making the next generation of Marines as a drill instructor, which, you know, people are like, you are a drill instructor. just like, yes, not as lean, not as mean, but still a Marine. Oh, but I believe it. You look tough. Well, thank you. I've done hard things, but you know what? I'll tell you the hardest thing I've ever had to do is raise a kid, raise a little boy. And, you know, I really, a lot of this is a continuation of my service, but also... But you could have done anything. You could have like run for city council. You could have been a state representative.

2:01JoAnna Mendoza: Well, I ran for the state legislature in 2020, unsuccessfully, but it did get 46 percent of the vote in a pretty red district, which is the same district that there's parts of it that are in Arizona six now. So where I grew up, you know, I'm a former. So give you a taste. Yeah. Well, you know, it was a I think everyone should run for an office because you gain a whole new appreciation for what it takes to get elected and, you know, the process. And it was really eye-opening. I mean, it was really tough. What did you learn from that race? Gosh, so many different things. I think I learned how money impacts politics, which, you know, I am in the belief that we need to get money out of politics because it is ruining this country.

2:54JoAnna Mendoza: You know, people are like, well, you're still having to raise money. Yes, right now we have to play the game to change the game, but the amount of money in politics and that's being spent, especially this election cycle, I mean, could house so many people, could feed so many children, could make sure that so many people have access to health, quality health care. And it's just, I mean, it's, in my opinion, it's egregious. But I learned a lot. And I learned that, you know, relationships are really important. It's really important to make sure that, you know, we may not agree with everybody, but building those relationships, I think, makes it a lot easier for for folks to say, you know what, you know, she's she's pragmatic.

3:38JoAnna Mendoza: Maybe there's a way we can do something together. So it's interesting because working across the aisle, it's one of the things that your opponent, Juan Siscomani, said you couldn't do at your televised debate. So, you know, I feel like this is definitely it's interesting it's like a theme of both of you well i mean look talk is cheap and he talks about being bipartisan all the time but if you look at his voting record i mean he votes 100 of the time with trump and not even i mean we have a couple of freedom uh caucus members in arizona you know anti-biggs is now running for governor and then eli crane and they don't even vote 100 of the time with trump so you're saying siskamani is actually like more trump than actually these folks who are.

4:21JoAnna Mendoza: Well, yeah. Yeah. I mean, and I wouldn't even say that he's more Trump. He's just more of a puppet. Damn. I've heard all throughout the district that, you know, he's never held a town hall. He says one thing, he does another. And he would say I'm meeting with small business owners and roundtables. You know, that would be what he would say. Yeah. Well, listen, I will tell you last night. So we yesterday we were in Sierra Vista and, you know, we met with firefighters. Of course, you know, we went down there to launch some canvases and, you know, get out our message, talk to voters. And then in the evening, I went to the VFW there in Sierra Vista.

4:54JoAnna Mendoza: I'm a member. I'm a lifetime member of the VFW in Sierra Vista. And that is, I mean, there's a lot of folks in there, a lot of veterans who are MAGA. And I went in there, you know, they gave me the microphone. I'm like, look, whether you agree with me or not, I'm a veteran. I'm here. I'm showing up. Here's what I believe. They got to ask questions. We bullshitted for a little bit. Can I say that? Oh, yeah, do it. Okay. And, you know, at the end, you know, people were coming up to me afterwards and they're like, you know, I really wasn't sure who I was going to vote for, but I'm going to vote for you because you showed up and you're just like a regular person.

5:29JoAnna Mendoza: Right. You're just like us. Your campaign from the outside has looked really bruising to me. Like your opponents tried to characterize you as a tax cheat and he's raised questions about a marriage you had. He's dug into your social media. You know, at some point you had to talk about a DWI from years ago. So it feels really ugly. Was there ever a point where you were like, was it worth it? No, it's always worth it. I took an oath to this country to protect and uphold not only our values, our constitution, but the people of this country. And that oath doesn't expire. And it has been hard. I mean, they have put up these ugly signs with some of the stuff that you mentioned here right in front of my kid's school where he plays Little League.

6:16JoAnna Mendoza: And my kid has had questions about that at school because he goes to a small rural public school and he's had a hard time dealing with it. And I mean, this is this is what they're willing to do to win because they have nothing else. Today on the show, Joanna Mendoza might flip a district in Arizona. She'll explain how. I'm Mary Harris. You're listening to What Next. Stick around. Thank you.

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8:23Visit Bill.com slash proven for a special offer. Part of the reason I wanted to talk to you is that I'm talking to a lot of candidates who are making interesting moves right now. And not all of them are doing it the way you're doing it. I've talked to a lot of people who want to talk about stuff like Medicare for All, who have a DSA affiliation. I feel like that's not what you're doing. And interestingly, one of the candidates who I talked to who's also not doing that is a guy named Bobby Polito, also running to represent the border region, but in Texas. It stands out to me that there's going to be a really interesting class of people coming into Washington, potentially.

9:09Not to say that everyone's going to win, but I feel like there are definitely more moderate voices and there are more progressive voices. Your opponent is definitely trying to toss you in the progressive pile, which you've pushed back on vociferously. Do you want to characterize what you believe and what perspective you'd be bringing to Washington?

9:32JoAnna Mendoza: Yeah, you know, I think especially in politics and as of late, there's a lot of labels that get put on people. Right. And this is we've gotten away from, you know, who the candidate actually is, what policies they support, where they stand and have tried to just put people in a box. And, you know, I believe our government is a living, breathing ecosystem and it requires balance just like anything in nature. And when it's too far to the right or too far to the left, things just don't work well. Can we do like a lightning round like of things like what you would support and what you wouldn't? Like, do you want to abolish ICE?

10:10No, no. We need to keep our community safe. But we do need to make sure that there is accountability and that there's transparency and that they are properly trained and vetted and following the rule of law. Do you want Medicare for all? No, but I do want a universal option, a universal health care option with maybe a private option. But the universal health care option should have vision and dental because dental does impact your health. It's all one body. Well, yeah, exactly. But, you know, for people who want a little more, maybe they go and they, you know, add on a private option.

10:42JoAnna Mendoza: So, you know, freedom is about choice in this country. And to say that we have to have one flat out system for one thing is not the American way. This is why America is America, because you have choice. You have choices. So why not give people choices for those who want a universal health care option? Sure. And then if you want a little more, you know, add that that private option to it. What about something like impeaching Donald Trump? I feel like a lot of you just sighed. I mean, accountability is, I think, a major question of what happens in the next Congress, because the prediction is that the Democrats will take Congress and Congress.

11:20The House does have that power to bring impeachment charges. Yeah. What do you think about that? They did it. They impeached him twice and he was not removed. So you're saying it didn't work. It didn't work. But right now what we're hearing from people on the ground is they want relief. They want money in their pockets because they can't afford groceries. They can't afford gas. They can't afford the rent. And here in Arizona in the summer, it is hot as hell and they can't afford their electricity bill because a lot of folks just I mean, they don't have solar.

11:48JoAnna Mendoza: They can't upgrade their homes to an AC unit because it costs$13 ,000, you know. Like, those are the things that people want right now, and they're sick and tired of the BS games that are, you know, happening in Congress. Right now, Congress is in recess. Yeah. If someone who is working really hard doesn't show up for work because their kid's sick or maybe they're sick, they could get fired. If, you know, someone is not doing their job well, they could get fired and let go or demoted. Why don't those rules apply to Congress? What I want to see out of my government, I want to see like huge dark circles under their eyes from being sleep deprived because they're working so hard to solve the problems for hardworking Americans across this country.

12:35I want to see them working so hard, harder than the American people, because we work really hard. We work hard for our money. We pay their salaries with our taxes. And they should be working really hard, harder than everyone else in this country. And I don't see that right now from Congress. And it pisses me off. Yeah. I mean, I have to say, like, I really admire something you did just there, which is like you're able to pivot in your answers to talk about affordability in this like very authentic and genuine way. But I do have this question, which is how much you would be able to do in Congress to address affordability, given that you will be working with Donald Trump as president.

13:20And so some people look at the accountability measures as the one thing you actually could do. And you could tie affordability and accountability together, I think, because you could make the argument that what Donald Trump is doing in Washington is quite corrupt and that is impacting people in terms of their pocketbooks. So I guess I'm wondering, my question for someone like you is like, let's say you win on this affordability message. If you go to Washington and you find it very difficult to address affordability directly, how do you keep messaging to your constituents that you're on it and that you're fighting for them and deliver for them, frankly?

13:58Because it's not just a message. I mean, this is what we've heard from people across the district. And I tell people, I'm like, look, I'm going to be one of 435 members. But right. Like you can't end the war in Iran unilaterally. Right. And that is driving up costs. It is driving up costs. But people only talk about the cost portion of it. There's a human cost, Mary. I mean, you have service members who are being treated just horribly. I mean, you have service members who are trying to jump off the ship and commit suicide because they can't take the living conditions that they're in. They're not getting the rations and food that they need.

14:34They don't have the resources they need to be successful. in a war that this administration and my opponent have supported and said that there would be no more forever wars. I've spent time in Iraq. I've spent time in Afghanistan. I've had Marines who have come back and they're not 100 % because of exposure to burn pits, PTSD, you name it. And it's not just a message. This is a reality for a lot of folks. And I think that for me, all of the stories that I hear across the district, I can't tell you, Mary, how many times I have talked to people who are in freaking tears because they feel hopeless.

15:10And right now, under this administration, all of this has been brewing for decades, that the American people feel that the government doesn't work for them. Right now, Trump has obviously made that, has amplified that, you know, to the 10th power. And so have Republicans like MAGA Republicans, like Quants Escamani. But this has been going on for such a long time to the point where you had people who were willing to support and vote for someone who has been just blatantly, like openly corrupt, who is just, I mean, has done so many horrible things. But that really goes to show that the American people were so just sick and tired of being left behind that they took a chance on someone like Donald Trump.

15:58And that says a lot about the state of our country and the lack of solution and work that our government has not done. I mean, they haven't addressed these issues. Can we talk about the border and immigration? Yeah. Because, you know, part of your district does touch the U.S.-Mexico border, and I think that you have a pretty nuanced idea of what better immigration policy would look like. And, like, you've said things like some parts of the border you do want a wall, Some parts you don't. Tell me more about how you think about the border and what you think people in Washington, potentially even some of your new colleagues, may misunderstand when they think about people in your region.

16:43Well, first and foremost, both parties have kicked the can down the road when it comes to border security. Every party is like, I'm going to do this and we're going to do that. And then you have everybody going down to the border and taking pictures and then, you know, they leave and then nothing gets done. We're still seeing fentanyl coming across our ports of entry. We're seeing cartels who are targeting kids who are growing up in rural poverty and offering them, you know, a couple hundred dollars to move, you know, drugs or people. And none of the issues are getting addressed. And, you know, when it comes to border shares, 80 miles of border that we share with Mexico.

17:18Right now, under this administration, our relationship with one of our oldest trading partners, Mexico, has been ruined. Border communities in this district and across, you know, here, the district in Arizona and even Texas and the other states that have border communities, they rely on that trade, on that legal trade with Mexico. And right now, that relationship is gone. Like, we've got tariffs on Mexico. It's driving up the prices of everything. So there's multiple layers to what border security and immigration reform will look like. I mean, there's an ICE detention facility opening in your district, right?

17:55JoAnna Mendoza: Well, there's already several ICE detention centers in Arizona. This is like not a new a new thing. The problem is, is that the agents, the ICE agents that are that were supposedly tasked to catch criminals are not catching the criminals. And we're hearing reports that in some cases they may even be criminals themselves because they're not being properly vetted or trained. And so how do you fix that? I mean, you've said you don't want to abolish ICE. No, I don't. But we need oversight. We need accountability. And we fix that by making sure that the policies that are in place do not allow for that.

18:32You know, when people talk about, oh, we want to abolishize, where do you think all those agents are going to go? They're going to go to a different agency. So in order to make sure that we're holding those that are violating the law accountable, we have to keep, you know, we have to keep that up. That can't go away. But not only that, I mean. I don't know. I think if you abolish ICE, they could just they could be fired. Right. You would just say like, well, I mean, I agree that it's not great to have thousands of people suddenly without a job that that isn't ideal for anyone, really. But like, I do think the idea is we've brought in all of these agents there.

19:09We don't know if they're properly trained. We know they're not because look what they're doing. We know they're not properly trained. Right. And the Department of Homeland Security, some would argue, was like a weird division to start in the first place. We need to rethink it completely. I do think that there's an argument for something bigger there. And I think keeping people there and trying to manage them, that sounds really hard when you've just sort of had an influx of so many people who have potentially been ill-trained. Everything's hard right now, Mary, and nothing's going to be easy, period.

19:40But we can't just start dismantling systems because, you know, for whatever reason, we can't. That's the problem that I have with folks who call for the abolishment of anything is that there you can't just throw it away. You've got to try to fix it and make sure that that something like that doesn't happen again. And, you know, serving in the military for 20 years when, you know, you're dealing with, you know, missions and you're having to work with people from all over, even non-citizens who are raising their right hand to defend this country. And you're sitting there and you say, OK, you know, we don't all agree on everything, but here's what we do agree on.

20:18The mission, here's how we're going to do it and we're going to fix it. You can't just throw something away because it no longer works. And so we have a responsibility. Elected officials and government have a responsibility to not only improve the quality of life for people, but also to make sure that the homeland is safe. And right now, they're not making anything safer for anyone. I'm a mom of a 10-year-old. I want my kid to be able to go down to the community park and hang out and have a great time without me thinking that something bad is going to happen.

20:51we'll be right back after a quick break

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24:08You've made your military service a key part of your campaign messaging. You were deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Tell me how you would address the war in Iran should you go to Washington. Well, you know, here's here's the funny thing. Well, it's not even funny, because I think that a lot of times, especially with your question, it's like I'm not the only one. There's going to be 435 members that should already be addressing this.

24:34JoAnna Mendoza: However, I will tell you that I have been very vocal about putting together a bipartisan congressional delegation to go where the ships are, the Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, to go there to launch an investigation, oversight, find out what the hell is going on. And I'm not talking about, you know, talking to just high ranking, you know, admirals and military officers. I want to talk to the E1s, E2s, E3s, the ones that are actually suffering because of what this administration is doing there. No plan, no measure of success, no strategy. We can't just pull people out of there now because we're already there.

25:13We got to figure it out. We're going to have to work with this president and, you know, the Republicans across the aisle to try to figure out how we're going to make this situation better

25:24JoAnna Mendoza: because we shouldn't have been there in the first place. But I think that's a start is finding out. I'm willing to fly my butt over there and talk to service members because I know what it means when you are a leader and you have the privilege and responsibility of leading people. You have to be responsible. You have to make sure that their needs are met before yours. And right now we're not seeing that type of servant leadership in our government. We're certainly not seeing in the Department of Defense from Secretary Hegseth. And it is any military official that is pushing back on this administration is getting pushed out of the military altogether.

26:01So for me, if our kids are raising their right hand and they're taking the oath to protect this country and uphold the Constitution and our way of life, then we owe it to them to make sure that they have the tools and everything they need and the resources to be successful where they are. And right now, that is not happening. And it is egregious and it is a priority for me because not only because of my service, but because I know what sacrifice means and the sacrifices they're making that their families are making. You know, when I think about your race and what it's going to tell the country about what's happening right now.

26:37I think it's going to tell people so much about how independents are feeling at the moment because your district is so interesting. It used to be John McCain's, I think, back when it was called the first district. Gabby Giffords used to represent a version of this district.

26:53JoAnna Mendoza: So it's this interesting place. Yeah. Jim Colby, McSally, and Kirkpatrick. I mean, Ron Barber. It's been represented by both Democrats and Republicans. And it has 80 ,000 veterans who call Arizona's sixth home, a couple of military bases, lots of military families. So it's a really unique place. And we're at the crossroads of everything. Border security, national security, foreign policy, you know, extreme weather, you name it, it's at the crossroads. Did you ever consider running as an independent? Because so much of what you're saying is, it feels independent to me. No, you know what? No, No, I haven't.

27:32Because right now there's one party that is actually actively working to try to make sure that people have what they need to provide for their families right now. And it's the Democratic Party. I just had the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair, Susan Delbeni. She was down here visiting the district. She has roots. Her husband has roots here in Tucson. on. And, you know, I said, hey, you want to come out with me to, you know, prepare meals for seniors on meals on wheels. They're struggling right now. They're seniors who that one meal that they get a day, they're cutting it in half and they're saving half for the evening because they may not have another opportunity to get a hot meal.

28:09You know, they're not ambulatory. They don't have family. So it's things like that. And it's and it's the focus that we're going to be putting here when we get into the house, when we take the house back is, you know, reducing costs, making sure people have access to affordable and accessible and quality health care and fighting that corruption. The three C's, cost, care and corruption. It's interesting, though, because, you know, Democrats have trouble, too, right? Like they the party. And I'm sort of curious, like it's that time of year when both parties are pulling out the big guns, like you see Barack Obama going to Michigan and Ohio and Georgia and you see Trump all over the place.

28:41Like, I'm sort of curious if you could magically have some big name surrogate come to your district and like really just like bring people out. Who would it be? You know what? I really don't think any of that matters. I mean, people have come out here because they want to support. They want to make sure that we get someone in here who's a servant leader and is going to do right by the people in this district. What matters is that you're showing up as someone who wants to represent this district. And people don't give a crap about big names coming down here. What they want to know is, are you going to show up when it's not

29:12JoAnna Mendoza: election time? Are you going to show up to address their needs? Are you going to listen to them? Are you going to fight for them? And that's what I've done. And I'm going to take that fight to Washington. I'm going to show Washington what a kid from a small rural farming community called Eloy, who grew up in poverty and is focused on making sure that families like the one that I grew up in don't have to suffer. And, you know, I'm going to work my butt off there. And it's going to be extremely important, so important that people understand and they know that the work that we're doing is on their behalf.

29:48And the way you do that is by showing up in their communities, listening to them and taking those stories back to Washington. I know you got to go, but can I say one more thing? I do. Which is like, stay safe out there. Thank you. I say that just because, you know, in the last few days you have had a couple of scary incidents, threats reported against you. In Arizona, there's another Democrat running for Congress in a different district who reported a horrific assault against her while she was fixing signs. And I just think it's an indicator of how fragile this moment is, what people like you are facing, I guess I would say.

30:30Thank you. I appreciate that. But look, this is not the first time my life has been in danger. You know, I it's bigger this right now. This moment is bigger than than anyone, than anything.

30:43JoAnna Mendoza: And we have to do right by the American people. And for me, it's about service. It's about the oath and making sure that I'm doing my part to keep this country intact, make it better and and ensure that we have our democracy for another 250 years. So thank you for the work that you're doing. And we've got 11 days and we're going to continue to kick butt and, you know, do all the things that we need to do to get across the finish line. Not for me, not for my campaign, but for the people in this district.

31:19Thanks for the conversation. Thank you so much. Joanna Mendoza is a Democrat running for Congress in Arizona's 6th district. And that's our show. What Next is produced by Evan Campbell, Madeline Thames-Ducharme, and Patrick Fort. Paige Osborne is the senior supervising producer for What Next and What Next TBD. Milo Bell is our executive producer of podcasts here at Slate. Ben Richmond is the senior director of podcast operations. And I'm Mary Harris. Go track me down in blue skies. Say hey. I'm at Mary Harris. Thanks for listening. Catch you back here next time.

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