Pima County law enforcement responded to two incidents in the past two weeks concerning the safety of Democratic House candidate JoAnna Mendoza.
In the first incident, a man emailed a concerning message to the Mendoza campaign via an online form on Sept. 28. According to law enforcement, the message contained information that could be interpreted as a threat on Mendoza’s life.
Detectives later located the man, who had an outstanding arrest warrant for domestic violence and disorderly conduct charges. He was transported to a local hospital over concerns about his mental health. AZPM has chosen not to disclose the man’s name at this time because he has not been charged in connection with the threat.
Mendoza is campaigning to represent Arizona's Congressional District 6 against Republican incumbent Juan Ciscomani in one of the country's most hotly contested congressional races.
In a statement, Mendoza said that the incident was part of a larger pattern.
“This isn’t the first time my life has been threatened. This is a huge problem in our politics and it needs to be addressed,” she said.
She added that she was concerned about the man’s well-being. “I am going to keep him in my prayers,” she said.
Another incident happened less than a week later on Oct. 3. Tucson Police responded to a report of suspicious activity at the Mendoza Campaign’s Field Office. Police said they encountered a 25-year-old male on the property, who was escorted off the grounds.
On Wednesday, another Tucson man was arrested and criminally charged after making a bomb threat against the White House and several other locations in Washington D.C. His threat was sent in an email to an unnamed local news outlet, which reported it to the Department of Justice.
