JoAnna Mendoza is an American veteran and political candidate from Arizona. She grew up in a rural farmworker family in Pinal County, Arizona, and enlisted in the U.S. Navy at age 17 before serving a long career in the U.S. Marine Corps. Over her 20 years of military service, she served in leadership roles including Drill Instructor and deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. After retiring from the military, she returned to Arizona, raised her son as a single mother, and worked in veterans’ services and community advocacy. She later entered politics and is now running for Congress in Arizona’s 6th District, campaigning on affordability, veterans’ care, healthcare access, and public safety.