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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Roque Planas in Tucson

Duel in the desert: US marine veteran aims to win back working-class voters for Democrats

a woman shakes hands with a supporter
JoAnna Mendoza greets supporters at a campaign event in Tucson, Arizona. Photograph: Rebecca Noble/Reuters

On a recent morning, Tucson mayor Regina Romero knocked on a yellow door above a mat emblazoned with a cat’s silhouette and the words “go away, peasants”. A young man cracked the door open and stood there silently, a toothbrush dangling from his mouth.

After giving him a moment to finish brushing his teeth, the mayor introduced herself and asked if the man had heard of JoAnna Mendoza, the Democrat running to unseat Republican congressman Juan Ciscomani. Romero handed him a pamphlet and rattled off her candidate’s virtues. The young man stood stone-faced, until she mentioned that Mendoza had served for nearly two decades as a US marine.

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