JoAnna Mendoza

Mendoza was born in Florence, Arizona. She says her family relied on Medicaid while she was growing up and that her life has been shaped by the working families of Pinal County.[1][2] She served in the U.S. Navy from 1994 to 1997 and the U.S. Marine Corps from 1998 to 2016, including two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. She says she enlisted at 17 and served as a Marine Corps Drill Instructor.[1][2] Mendoza earned a bachelor's degree from American Military University in 2013, a master's in leadership from Grand Canyon University in 2019 and a graduate degree from Arizona State University.[1][2]

She worked as a veterans outreach coordinator for Pima Community College, a program manager at A Place Called Home, and a veteran services representative for U.S. Rep. Tom O'Halleran (D). She describes herself as a single mother, nonprofit leader, veteran advocate and congressional staffer.[1][2] In 2020 Mendoza won the Democratic primary for Arizona State Senate District 11 with 57.4 percent, then lost the general election to incumbent Vince Leach (R), 54.4 percent to 45.6 percent. She advanced unopposed from the July 21, 2026 Democratic primary for the 6th District.[1] According to her Ballotpedia survey, she campaigned on lowering costs, protecting Social Security and strengthening the health care system.[2] She won the November 3, 2026 general election with 52.9% of the vote to Juan Ciscomani's 44.9%, Jereme Peters's 1.3% and Gary Swing's 0.9%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[3]