Democratic congressional candidate JoAnna Mendoza rallied supporters alongside former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg at a campaign event on Saturday in Tucson, pitching her bid to unseat Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani in Arizona's 6th Congressional District.
The high-profile Democratic Party figure and a potential 2028 presidential hopeful told the crowd of roughly 1,000 people at the Pima County Fairgrounds that his two 5-year-old twins are now at an age where they're asking a lot of questions. He described the difficulty of explaining current political and economic conditions to young children.
“‘Papa, good guys always win, don’t they?’” Buttigieg recounted his son, Gus, asking him after watching Star Wars.
It’s not always that simple, Buttigieg said.
Buttigieg directed specific attacks at Ciscomani’s voting record in Congress, criticizing the incumbent for supporting sweeping federal spending cuts while adding to the national debt. He highlighted votes that led to food assistance reductions affecting more than 420,000 Arizonans – including 180,000 children.
He also linked federal clean energy funding cuts to the layoff of 700 workers in Casa Grande, noting that Ciscomani has refused to hold town hall meetings to explain his record.
“If he's proud of that, maybe he ought to come out here and explain why,” Buttigieg said to a roaring crowd.
Republican incumbent Ciscomani is currently serving his second term representing Arizona's 6th Congressional District after a narrow reelection victory over Kirsten Engel in 2024.
The Associated Press called his tight race in November 2024, which served as the decisive win securing the final seat needed for Republicans to maintain majority control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The race remains a critical battleground in the current 2026 midterm election cycle.
Ciscomani and Mendoza faced off in a debate two nights prior to the rally, addressing the economy, cost of living, healthcare and veterans issues.
Much like in the debate, Mendoza rooted her candidacy in her upbringing in a local farmworker family and her 20-year military career, declaring that she is seeking office to serve struggling communities rather than pursue political titles.
She condemned proposed cuts to federal safety net programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid, warning that everyday people are struggling across the board
"To truly lead people, you have to be willing to put them before yourself," Mendoza told supporters.
Buttigieg endorsed Mendoza, framing her campaign as a pivotal opportunity to replace systemic political corruption with practical, community-focused leadership.
Buttigieg praised Mendoza’s credentials, noting that she enlisted in the armed forces at age 17.
"She was a gun sergeant,” Buttigieg said. “And when I was deployed in Afghanistan, my right-hand man was a gun. And of all the foreign languages that I have studied, he taught me the most interesting one, the dialect of American English, known as Marine. No language on earth can put more meaning into fewer syllables."
Buttigieg did not confirm or deny questions about whether he was considering a 2028 presidential bid, saying the focus was on a “crucial” midterm election.
When asked whether Mendoza would support Buttigieg or U.S. Navy veteran Sen. Mark Kelly in a potential bid, she answered she “would love to see a veteran as Commander in Chief.”
Buttigieg was supposed to come to Tucson earlier this summer. The event had to be canceled after Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten, faced unfounded allegations of child endangerment in Traverse City, Michigan, following a complaint to child protective services.
Buttigieg said that authorities were called to his house in what he said seemed to be an effort to target him politically. It temporarily led to him being separated from his two children.
Buttigieg wrote in a blog post in June that the event may have been rooted in homophobia and also meant to target him and his family.
