Democratic challenger JoAnna Mendoza moderated the town hall with Sen. Priya Sundareshan & ECU and GIFFORDS leadership to spotlight Ciscomani catering to the gun lobby & special interests
TUCSON — GIFFORDS, the national gun violence prevention group founded by former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, and End Citizens United (ECU), a national advocacy organization dedicated to getting big money out of politics, held a town hall in Tucson on how the gun lobby and dark money have shaped Congressman Juan Ciscomani’s voting record and blocked progress on commonsense public safety policies for Arizonans.
The community town hall was moderated by JoAnna Mendoza, the Democrat challenger running to unseat Rep. Ciscomani in the midterm elections, and featured opening remarks from State Senator Priya Sundareshan, who represents parts of Pima County in the state legislature.
Throughout his time in Congress, Ciscomani has repeatedly voted to put the profits of his gun lobby and dark money donors over the safety of Arizonans, earning him a spot on ECU’s 2026 Most Corrupt Politicians List and an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association.
“At every turn, Congressman Ciscomani has shown us he will put money from donors over the safety of Arizona’s families. Just last week, he cashed another check from the NRA to support his campaign – while he does nothing to reduce crime and violence in Arizona,” said Emma Brown, Executive Director of GIFFORDS. “We need to send JoAnna Mendoza to Congress to fight for commonsense gun safety policies. GIFFORDS is grateful for End Citizens United’s work to shed light on the special interests driving Ciscomani’s priorities — we look forward to working together to elect JoAnna Mendoza this fall, so Arizona will have a representative who isn’t beholden to the gun lobby.”
“Our system is failing Americans as bought-and-sold lawmakers refuse to address preventable gun violence, a cost-of-living crisis, and threats against our democracy,” said End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller. “We are seeing in real time the consequences of Rep. Ciscomani’s corruption, and it’s time to hold him and his special interest donors accountable at the ballot box. We are incredibly grateful to be partnering with GIFFORDS in this fight, and we look forward to working with them to help elect JoAnna Mendoza this November.”
Mendoza has received endorsements from GIFFORDS and ECU for her commitment to standing up to the gun lobby and other special interests on behalf of Arizonans.
“Dark money and special interests have too much influence over who represents us,” said JoAnna Mendoza. “I’m running to serve the people of this district, not whoever can write the biggest check. Unlike Juan Ciscomani, I’ll always show up for Southern Arizona and advocate for all of our families. I’m looking forward to partnering with GIFFORDS and End Citizens United to fight for lower costs, affordable healthcare, and the safe communities we all deserve.”
“Republicans in Congress, like Rep. Ciscomani, are failing to stand up for Americans when it comes to gun safety, just as they are failing to stand up to Trump’s corrupt and unlawful executive actions,” said State Senator Priya Sundareshan. “In the Arizona Legislature, we see what that failure leads to, and it is Republican bills pushed by the gun lobby to further exempt gun manufacturers from any accountability, and these bills are sent party-line to the Governor. The voters of CD-06 need a Representative who will put them first and fight for American democracy, and that person is Jo Mendoza.”
