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

Regina Romero draws on unique biography to connect with voters in Arizona battleground – can she flip a key swing seat? 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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