Washington, D.C. — Today, Latino Victory Fund unveiled the 2022 candidate slate for its “First Latinas” program, an initiative aimed to increase Latina representation at all government levels by supporting Latina candidates who would be the first elected in their seats. The 2022 class of “First Latinas” includes nine congressional, statewide, and state legislature candidates in Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Texas, with more candidates to be announced throughout the remainder of the 2022 cycle.
“First Latinas” is a one-of-a-kind national program that exclusively supports Latinas breaking barriers in elected office. While Latinas have made significant strides in various fields, they are vastly underrepresented in government—less than 3 percent of the members of Congress and only one in the Senate,” said Nathalie Rayes, Latino Victory Fund president and CEO.
“Our history-making “First Latinas” candidates could change the landscape of state legislatures, statewide executive offices and Congress. They are experienced leaders in their communities who support issues Latinos care about, including access to affordable health care, an economy that works for everyone, voting rights, reproductive rights, and climate change.
“From the voting booth to public office, Latinas have the power to influence elections and to create meaningful, positive change when they serve in office. However, they face numerous barriers, most significantly, a lack of access to resources, which is why this program aims to help fill these gaps to ensure they are running robust campaigns to win. Latino Victory Fund is proud to support these phenomenal “First Latinas” candidates as part of our efforts to increase Latina representation,” said Rayes.
The 2022 “First Latinas” class includes the following candidates:
Congressional
- Dr. Yadira Caraveo, CO-08 – First Latina and the first physician to represent Colorado in Congress
- Andrea Salinas, OR-06 – First Latina to represent Oregon in Congress
Statewide
- Annette Taddeo, FL Governor – First Latina Governor of Florida
- Nellie Gorbea, RI Governor – First Latina Governor in New England
- Anna Valencia, IL SOS – First Latina and first woman Secretary of State in Illinois
- Rochelle Garza, TX AG – First Latina Attorney General in Texas
Down-ballot
- Alexandra Guio, TX HD-114 – First Latina to represent HD-114 in Texas
- Michelle Schreiner, GA HD-90 – First Latina to represent HD-90 in Georgia
- Janet Diaz, PA HD-50, – First Latina in the Pennsylvania state legislature
In 2018, Latino Victory Fund launched an initiative called “Year of the Latina” to reinforce the organization’s goal of supporting more Latina candidates. That year, more than half of the organization’s candidates were Latinas, and they made up a majority of its candidate win rate. In 2020, Latino Victory created the “First Latinas” program to cement the organization’s support for Latina candidates who would be the first elected to their seats.
In addition to the strategic support that Latino Victory provides for its candidates, the 2022 “First Latinas” program will include an initial budget of $500,000 for the entire slate that will be spent throughout the election cycle.
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