A Democrat running for Congress in one of the most competitive seats in the country once said she would combat systematic racism by redirecting law enforcement funding when asked if she would “defund the police” in 2020.

“I support the reallocation of funding to programs that would allow people to live their best lives,” JoAnna Mendoza, a Marine veteran, told the Arizona Clean Elections Commission and Arizona Capitol Times at a town hall event.

“Such as social service programs. Such as housing, public education, healthcare, ensuring that we are addressing economic stability and environmental safety.”

Mendoza, who is running to represent Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, denied ever supporting defunding the police, according to her campaign.

“Jo Mendoza has been on the record for years that police need MORE resources to do their jobs – not less – including body cameras and training. And she has repeatedly stated that she does not support defunding the police,” Mendoza’s campaign said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“Any other assertion is categorically false, a lie and a political smear from D.C. hacks hoping to save Juan Ciscomani from an early retirement,” the campaign said, referring to the GOP incumbent Mendoza is running against. 

Mendoza did not clarify what she had meant by the 2020 statement. However, her campaign pointed to other comments she made in 2020.

“I do not support defunding the police. Police officers are being asked to do too much. They’re being asked to address issues because of the lack of resources in our communities,” Mendoza said in another virtual event that year.

The Republican National Committee slammed Mendoza in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“There’s no way for JoAnna Mendoza to spin her extreme anti-police views, and Arizonans will know that she sides with dangerous criminals over them,” Nick Poche, a spokesperson for the RNC, told Fox News Digital.

The “defund the police” platform, which at the time was championed by several progressive Democrats, has aged poorly, leading Republicans and Democrats to view mere mentions of the phrase as a political liability in 2026.

The movement first burst onto the scene through the outrage after the death of George Floyd, a Black Minnesota resident who died after a police arrest in which an officer pinned him to the ground by placing a knee on his neck for an extended period. 

His death sparked an uproar in cities across the country over racism in law enforcement and whether police in America could do more to avoid violence during arrests.

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Although the outrage over Floyd eventually subsided, many of the calls to divert resources away from police persisted as a Democratic platform, leading some cities like Minneapolis and Austin, Texas, to reduce their police budgets.

However, the movement began to draw ire from Democrats who feared the party had taken a stance that could be considered at odds with community safety and worsen their odds at the ballot box.

Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., the House Majority Whip under U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in 2021, said the phrase was “cutting the throats of the party.” 

“We keep making that mistake. This foolishness about you got to be this progressive or that progressive,” Clyburn said.

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Other Democratic strategists, such as James Carville, have also condemned the platform.

Carville called the slogan “the three stupidest words in the English language” in interviews in 2024 and went as far as suggesting the slogan could have led to the loss of Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid against Donald Trump.

“We could never wash off the stench of it,” Carville added.

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Mendoza faces a tough race in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District. Ciscomani, the seat’s current incumbent, narrowly won election in 2024 in a 50%-47.5% victory over Democrat challenger Kirsten Engel.

The district is listed among the Cook Political Report’s most competitive races in 2026, earning one of the 18 seats with a “toss-up” designation.

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Poche believes Mendoza’s previous comments have just made her bid against Ciscomani harder.

“If the Democrats think a defund-the-police radical can beat him, they’re just plain stupid,” Poche said.

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Fans attending the Texas Rangers’ home opening series against the Cincinnati Reds in early April will get their first look at the newly installed, permanent fixture in left field.

Billed as a tribute to the MLB franchise’s namesake, the Rangers unveiled the “One Riot, One Ranger” statue along the left-field concourse at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, Monday.

In 2020, the statue was removed from Dallas Love Field amid heightened racial tensions and the group’s complicated history tied to race relations.

The book “Cult of Glory: The Bold and Brutal History of the Texas Rangers” examined parts of the law enforcement unit’s past. Its publication coincided with nationwide scrutiny of some police practices after the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.

In an Associated Press account about six years ago, around the time the statue was pulled from the airport, “Cult of Glory” identified the figure as Capt. Jay Banks. The book states that, in 1957, Banks led a group of Rangers believed to have blocked Black students from enrolling at a local high school and community college.

In the article, “Cult of Glory” author Doug Swanson said, “There’s a famous picture of him leaning against a tree in front of Mansfield High School while a black figure hangs in effigy above the school, with Banks making no effort to take it down.

“And Banks sided with the mobs who were there to keep the black kids out. So, he was the face of that.”

Russell Molina, a board member of the Texas Ranger Association Foundation, acknowledged the Rangers’ controversial past but said those who lived “up to the ideal” deserve recognition and argued the statue was not solely meant to represent Banks.

“We recognize that the history of the Texas Rangers, like that of our state and nation, includes moments that must be confronted honestly,” Molina said. “While not everyone who has served across more than two centuries lived up to the ideal, most did, and they deserve to be remembered for their service, sacrifice and commitment to the people of Texas.”

Swanson told The Dallas Morning News he hoped the statue’s latest placement would include more context about the organization’s complex past.

Fox News Digital contacted the baseball franchise’s media relations department but did not immediately receive a response. 

According to Globe Life Field’s official website, “While the ‘One Riot, One Ranger’ statue commemorates the legend surrounding the agency’s involvement in the stoppage of an unsanctioned Dallas prize fight in 1896, it also stands as a tribute to all who have served the organization over its storied history.”

Statues of former MLB stars Iván Rodríguez, Adrián Beltré and Nolan Ryan also stand at the Rangers’ retractable-roof stadium.

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On May 26, 2026, the second half of President Donald Trump’s second term may be on the ballot.

Texas Senator John Cornyn held off Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to lead in the first round of the 2026 race for the Texas Senate seat, but since Congressman Wesley Hunt drew more than 13% of the primary vote, a run-off between Cornyn and Paxton will be held on May 26.

Senator Cornyn is a stalwart conservative, a former Texas State Supreme Court justice and a strong supporter of President Donald Trump. Attorney General Paxton is a fixture of the often black-and-blue brawling of the Lone Star State’s internal combinations.

How black-and-blue?

Paxton was impeached by the overwhelmingly GOP-dominated state legislature on 16 counts of alleged wrongdoing in 2023. Paxton survived his trial in the Texas State Senate and was acquitted, but should he somehow catch and pass Cornyn in the run-off, the safe GOP seat in deep-red Texas suddenly becomes very winnable for the Democrats who have nominated boy-band-look alike James Talarico. Cornyn will roll over the young man. Paxton is likely to get rolled by him.

President Trump could come in on Cornyn’s side before May 26 and put an end to the sideshow that threatens to put the GOP’s Senate majority at risk if Paxton wins.

The Senate GOP enjoys a 53-47 advantage right now. While it is hard to see a path for Democrats to get to 51, it’s not impossible. It becomes much more likely, in fact, if Paxton wins the run-off and loses the general. Much. More. Likely.

What would a Democratic Senate majority mean for President Trump? Start with long, repeating Senate trials on bogus articles of impeachment which will roll over from a House Democratic majority on a conveyor belt. Count on a Democratic Senate majority to go to any lengths to recapture the White House in 2028 while crippling the ability of 45-47 to get much done in his last two years.

The courts would also be at risk. President Trump’s nominees for the federal bench, especially the Supreme Court, should any occur, would not get a hearing as Democrats chant in unison the name of Merrick Garland.

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In fact, it would not be surprising to see zero nominees for any advice-and-consent position proceed to a floor vote. The Democrats are deranged — “These people are crazy!” was the best line of the president’s State of the Union — and a “TDS” infected Democratic Senate majority would be a nightmare for the president and the Republic.

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The good news is that Texas Republicans are a smart lot. They have rejected every attempt by national media over two decades to get them to desert the GOP to support the latest progressive poster child. Texas voters play politics like they play football — to win. Trading a veteran and accomplished legislator for (at best) the lowest ranked senator in an institution that runs on seniority would be foolish indeed. Switching Cronyn out for Paxton is inviting Talarico to “represent” Texas for six long years.

Texans shouldn’t bench a long-time winner for an injured and injury-prone JV player. President Trump can assure that they won’t. The president played it smart by letting Texas Republicans pick their leader in the clubhouse. Now is the time for President Trump to seal his party’s majority in the Senate in 2027 and 2028 with a ringing endorsement of Senator John Cornyn.

Hugh Hewitt is a Fox News contributor and host of “The Hugh Hewitt Show” heard weekday afternoons from 3 PM to 6 PM ET on the Salem Radio Network, and simulcast on Salem News Channel. Hugh drives Americans home on the East Coast and to lunch on the West Coast on over 400 affiliates nationwide, and on all the streaming platforms where SNC can be seen. He is a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel’s news roundtable, hosted by Bret Baier weekdays at 6pm ET. A son of Ohio and a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School, Hewitt has been a Professor of Law at Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law since 1996 where he teaches Constitutional Law. Hewitt launched his eponymous radio show from Los Angeles in 1990. Hewitt has frequently appeared on every major national news television network, hosted television shows for PBS and MSNBC, written for every major American paper, has authored a dozen books and moderated a score of Republican candidate debates, most recently the November 2023 Republican presidential debate in Miami and four Republican presidential debates in the 2015-16 cycle. Hewitt focuses his radio show and his column on the Constitution, national security, American politics and the Cleveland Browns and Guardians. Hewitt has interviewed tens of thousands of guests from Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Kerry to Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump over his 40 years in broadcasting. This column previews the lead story that will drive his radio/ TV show today.

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