Latino Victory Ushers In New Leadership to Double Down on Gains in Latino Political Representation and Drive Latino Political Power Post-Election

Washington DC, December 18, 2024 — Latino Victory, the leading national organization dedicated to building Latino political power, proudly announces the election of Cristóbal J. Alex as its new Board Chair and Dr. Erika Gonzalez-Reyes as Board Vice Chair. A native El Pasoan with Mexican-American roots and a trailblazer in government, advocacy, and political strategy, Alex brings decades of experience, including serving as the founding president of Latino Victory and as White House Deputy Cabinet Secretary under President Joe Biden. In the last election cycle, Alex led the largest ever independent Latino political expenditure – over $50m – for Future Forward, the main Democratic presidential Super PAC. 

Under Alex’s leadership, Latino Victory is poised to build on its legacy of advancing Latino representation and political power throughout the country.

Dr. Gonzalez-Reyes is an accomplished Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology Specialist, and a dedicated advocate for underserved Latino communities. Her extensive experience spans both healthcare and community leadership, including her service as a Director for the Texas Lyceum. 

Latino Victory is also excited to announce its Executive Director Katharine Pichardo-Erskine will be transitioning as its new President and CEO, extending a tenure featuring down-ballot successes and protecting Latino leadership at the federal level. With over 25 years of expertise in political organizing, civic engagement, and executive leadership, Pichardo-Erskine is uniquely positioned to guide the organization during this transformative period and execute an aggressive fundraising, programmatic and electoral strategy.

Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New York City, Pichardo-Erskine has built her career on empowering underrepresented communities and championing equity, opportunity, and representation. Her leadership has contributed to the enactment of groundbreaking policies that impact Latinos, and electing history-making leaders, including the first Dominican-American member of Congress and the first woman and person of color to serve as New York Attorney General.

“This is an exciting time for Latino Victory,” said Pichardo-Erskine. “The Latino vote has demonstrated its power, but there is still much work to be done to ensure our voices are fully represented in policymaking. I am honored to lead this organization and collaborate with Cristóbal and our allies to build a more inclusive democracy.”

“I am honored to step into this role at such a pivotal moment,” said Cristóbal Alex, Latino Victory’s incoming Board Chair. “As we saw in the last election, the Latino vote is more important now than ever before.  You simply cannot win a national election without the Hispanic community. Together with Katharine and our dedicated team, I look forward to expanding our impact and empowering Latino communities across the nation.”

With its new leadership, Latino Victory is ready to continue its mission of empowering Latino communities, electing transformative leaders, and shaping the future of our democracy.

Honoring Luis A. Miranda Jr.’s Legacy

Latino Victory extends its deepest gratitude to Luis A. Miranda Jr., outgoing Board Chair, for his visionary leadership and support since the organization’s inception. Miranda’s commitment to building Latino political power has transformed the landscape of Latino representation and voter engagement nationally. 

“Luis has been a driving force for this organization, and we are excited that he will continue to be a member of our Board of Directors,” said  Alex. “His leadership has created a foundation upon which we will continue to build and innovate this next election and beyond. We are immensely grateful to him.”

“Over the past six years, Latino Victory has supported over 300 Latino candidates, from school boards to higher offices, achieving countless victories and advancing our mission of empowering Latinos in politics. I am incredibly proud and humbled to have led this organization throughout this period of growth, and I look forward to the energy, commitment, and vision that our new leadership, Cristóbal and Katharine, will bring to continue driving Latino political power to new heights”, said Luis Miranda Jr, outgoing Board Chair. 

Sindy Benavides, outgoing President and CEO of Latino Victory, added, “It has been an honor to serve Latino Victory and witness firsthand the impact of our collective efforts in building Latino political representation. This cycle, we were able to elect 64 Latinos up and down the ballot, ensuring we are fulfilling our mission of increasing Latino representation at the tables of power and halls of Congress.  We also invested over $2 million dollars in our #VoteLikeAMadre program and launched Afro-Latinas Lead to increase political representation and build the pipeline to one day elect our first Afro-Latina to Congress. I am confident that under Cristóbal’s and Katharine’s leadership, the organization will continue to thrive, inspire new leaders, and elevate the voice of the Latino community nationwide. While I will continue supporting the Latino community within the national political landscape, I remain committed to partnering with Latino Victory. After the past elections, it is more important than ever to unite and work together toward one shared goal: advancing the power and representation of Latinos across the country.”

About Latino Victory

Latino Victory was co-founded in 2014 by Eva Longoria Bastón and Henry R. Muñoz III to build political power in the Latino community, so that our voices and values are reflected at every level of government, and in the policies that drive our country forward.

Over the past 10 years, Latino Victory has filled a critical void in the Latino civic engagement infrastructure, building a powerful and influential Latino voting base, united around progressive values and empowered to take action. Additionally, we have supported almost 450 candidates for public office and elected over 245 Latino leaders, expanding Latino political representation throughout the country.

In order to achieve our goals, we operate under the umbrella of various entities:

The Latino Victory Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that works to empower the Latino community and build our next generation of leaders by engaging in research, non-partisan civic engagement, strategic communications and leadership development. We seek to amplify the contributions of Latino leaders in the hopes that younger generations see themselves in our leaders’ work and realize that they, too, can leave their mark on our cultural landscape.

Latino Victory Project is a 501(c)(4) organization that develops leaders for public office and works to harness the Latino community’s power so that the voices of Latinos are included in the policies that move our country forward. We engage Latino voters to support leaders that reflect and advance Latino values, which are American values, including good-paying jobs, immigration reform, quality education, and a clean environment, amongst other key issues.

Latino Victory Fund is a Political Action Committee with the mission to elect Latino leaders who support progressive policies at all levels of government, increase Latino voter participation to have an impact in key races, and continue to build the Latino political power infrastructure. The Fund is able to finance both direct candidate contributions and independent expenditures, subject to all the statutory amount limitations and source prohibitions.