On the campaign trail in a southwestern Arizona swing district, Democrat JoAnna Mendoza often recounts her hardscrabble upbringing.
She began working alongside her farmworker parents, clearing weeds from the cotton fields, when she was still in grade school. Her family relied on government aid and food banks. She joined the military at 17, partly as a way to escape poverty.
“I carry that struggle with me to this day,” said Mendoza, a 49-year-old single mother who is challenging Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani in the 6th District. “I have not forgotten my roots and there are a lot of folks out there like me who have very similar stories.”
