How many Latinas in positions of power do you know? How many are elected officials?
If you can answer this question, you are one of the few.
For the Latino Victory Fund, a progressive political action committee founded by Henry R. Munoz III and actress and businesswoman Eva Longoria, increasing Latinas’ representation in politics is more than a priority: It’s an urgency.
That is why the organization has launched the First Latinas program, aimed at electing “trailblazing Latinas” and increasing the presence of Latina women in government positions, according to a press release.
“Latinas are transforming the political landscape in races across the country, and they’re winning,” said Nathalie Rayes, Latino Victory Fund President & CEO. “First Latinas aims to increase Latina representation and break barriers for future generations of Latinas who will see themselves in these key decision-making positions.”
Inspired by the success of the 2018 midterm campaign where a record number of Hispanic and women turned the U.S. House of Representatives blue, the Latino Victory Fund now intends to increase its range in the 2020 elections.
The effort has included financial and strategic support for many Latina candidates with the potential to be the first elected in state and federal races.
Among them: Candace Valenzuela, who may be the first African-American elected to Congress; Christina Hale, set to be the first Latina elected to Congress in Indiana; Michelle De La Isla, who will be the first Latina elected to Congress in Kansas; Dianne Morales, the mayoral candidate who may be the first Afro-Latina to lead New York City; and Georgette Gomez, who may be the first LGBTQ Latina elected to Congress.
Considering that in 2018 more than half of the candidates endorsed by the committee were Latinas and that the number of Latina Democrats elected to Congress increased from nine to twelve, the new effort of this organization might effectively change the political landscape for good.
