Washington, D.C. – Latino Victory Fund announced the endorsement of Hala Ayala for Virginia Lieutenant Governor. If elected, Ayala would make history by becoming the first Latina and first woman lieutenant governor of Virginia.
Latino Victory endorsed Ayala in 2017, who made history by becoming one of the first Latinas and the first Afro-Latina elected to the Virginia General Assembly.
“We’re proud to support Delegate Ayala in her historic candidacy for lieutenant governor because she is a proven leader who embodies the type of leadership that makes government work for the people. She has been an effective leader in the House of Delegates, and if elected lieutenant governor, she’ll expand her bold vision for a prosperous Virginia centered on creating opportunities for all,” said Nathalie Rayes, Latino Victory Fund president & CEO. “As Virginia grapples with the disparities exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, Delegate Ayala is focusing on priority issues that aim to root out these inequities, such as expanding access to affordable health care and creating an economy that works for all Virginians. Her election to the lieutenant governor will strengthen Virginia’s executive branch and expand Latina representation at the state level.”
Meet Hala Ayala
Candidate Background: Delegate Hala Ayala formed part of Latino Victory’s Virginia slate in 2017 and 2019, and with our support made history as one of the first Latinas elected to the oldest governing body in our country, the Virginia House of Delegates. Delegate Ayala is the daughter of an El Salvadorean father and a Middle Eastern mother and has been a member of the Prince William County community for over 35 years. Delegate Ayala has personally experienced the challenges of single motherhood and lack of access to affordable health insurance. Even before being elected to the House of Delegates, Delegate Ayala fought for raising the minimum wage, equal pay, and affordable health care as the founder and former president of the Prince William County chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW). Delegate Ayala worked her way up from a service job without health insurance to become a cybersecurity specialist with the Department of Homeland Security. For over 17 years, she worked to protect our nation’s information systems, enforce security measures, and prevent attacks by safeguarding computers, networks, and data from criminal intrusion and security breaches. In her second term in the House of Delegates, Delegate Ayala was appointed chair of the Data Protection & Privacy Advisory Committee, in addition to chairing this committee, Delegate Ayala also served on the Children’s Online Protection Advisory Committee. Ayala is also the Chief Deputy Whip in the House of Delegates.
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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.
