Political allies are defending Mary Ann Mendoza, a Republican Arizona House candidate from Mesa, after photos of her in blackface and brownface surfaced on social media.
Mendoza was one of former President Donald Trump's "Angel Moms." She started speaking out about illegal immigration after her son, Mesa Police Sgt. Brandon Mendoza, was killed in a head-on crash with an undocumented immigrant in 2014.
Some of the photos of Mendoza appeared on her deceased son's old Facebook page.
In posts dated October 2011, she is in blackface while wearing an Aunt Jemima costume, and she is in brownface in a Native American costume in posts from a 2012 Halloween party.
"I think when people dress in Halloween costumes, whether it's Pocahontas or Aunt Jemima, or whoever, and they apply those prosthetics, it does harken back to mocking and denigrating black identity," said Arizona State University Professor Ayanna Thompson, who wrote a book titled Blackface.
Thompson explained why a community can see a politician in blackface as particularly offensive. Thompson said, "It seems like a willful disregard for people that she would be representing."
Mendoza, who's running in Legislative District 9 covering west Mesa and part of Tempe, has not made any public statements about the photos since they surfaced on social media this month.
She did not return ABC15's calls or texts seeking comment. However, some political allies are coming to Mendoza's defense.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Lesko, (R) Arizona, is defending her continued endorsement of Mendoza.
Lesko's emailed statement to ABC15 said, "Instead of focusing on decade-old Halloween photos posted by liberal opponents right before an election, voters care about a secure border and common sense policies that will keep Arizona strong. That is what voters will get with Mary Ann Mendoza."
"Her heart is pure and she deserves our full support," said Kathleen Winn, a friend of Mendoza's and former congressional candidate. "Whatever makeup she wore is no worse than drag queen's."
The two Democrats competing for LD9 seats in the Arizona House said Mendoza has a history of bigotry.
"There were the anti-semitic remarks, you know, a couple of years ago, that got her banned from Twitter and kicked out of the [Republican National] Convention," said candidate Seth Blattman. "This is racism. This is hate."
Blattman and Austin said the blackface pictures should "disqualify" Mendoza as a candidate for elected office.
"This is something that spreads a very dangerous ideology," said candidate Lorena Austin, explaining the potential impact on "a community that for so long, has been trying to, you know, advocate for themselves and looking for leaders that will also represent them."
