Washington, D.C. — Latino Victory Fund announced the endorsement of Daniel Hernandez Jr., Democratic candidate for Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District. If elected to office, Hernandez would be the first Latino and first LGBTQ elected to represent the district.
“Daniel is a public servant at heart and a courageous leader. He has an impressive track record of advocating for issues that matter to Arizonans and Latinos to improve his community’s quality of life,” said Nathalie Rayes, Latino Victory Fund President and CEO. “Daniel has the experience, commitment, and gravitas needed to effect meaningful change in the U.S. House of Representatives. We need more steadfast leaders like Daniel who will fight for health care access for underserved communities, quality education for our children, and a fair, humane immigration system with a pathway to citizenship. Latino Victory is proud to endorse Daniel to ensure he joins the Latino bench in Congress and makes history as the first Latino elected to represent Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District.”
Meet Daniel Hernandez
Hernandez is a native, lifelong Arizonan, a former school board member and president, and a state representative in the Arizona State Legislature. The son of a Mexican immigrant mother, Hernandez is a first-generation college graduate, having attended the University of Arizona. When he interned for then-Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, he was there on the day of the tragic attack on her life that resulted in six deaths and 13 people injured. Hernandez was the first to administer first aid to the congresswoman before the EMTs arrived and was called a national hero by President Obama.
Inspired by Congresswoman Giffords’s commitment to public service, Hernandez went on to advocate for access to sexual and reproductive health care and education as program manager for Raíz, the Arizona-based Latino outreach program for Planned Parenthood Federation of America. He was also elected to his local school board, becoming the youngest school board president in the district’s history.
Since 2017, Hernandez has represented the 2nd District in the Arizona House of Representatives and is a co-founder of the House LGBTQ caucus. He has worked with both Republicans and Democrats to pass bills protecting survivors of sexual assault and secure $20 million in funding for school resource officers, counselors, and social workers in the state legislature. He also led the fight against legislation that would discriminate against LGBTQ Arizonans.
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The Latino Victory Fund is a progressive political action committee with the mission of growing Latino political power by increasing Latino representation at every level of government – from the school board to the Senate to the White House.
