Washington D.C. – The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Action Fund, which works to elect pro-environment candidates, and Latino Victory Fund, which works to elect Latino candidates, announced their endorsement of Rudy Soto for election to the U.S. House of Representatives from Idaho’s 1st Congressional District.
“Rudy Soto will fight to protect Idaho’s beautiful public lands and the health of families from dangerous pollutants due to drilling and mining,” said LCV Action Fund Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld. “We are proud to support him for Congress because we know he will be a fierce ally for climate and environmental justice.”
“Latinos are disproportionately affected by the adverse effects of climate change and pollution– our health and livelihoods are on the line. Rudy Soto will provide the staunch support and leadership we need to pass measures in Congress to safeguard our communities’ environment,” said Mayra Macías, Latino Victory Fund Executive Director. “Our nation has reached a critical tipping point that calls for decisive, bold actions to protect our environment. Latino Victory Fund is proud to support Rudy Soto to ensure we have another environmental advocate in Congress, and that we increase Latino and Native American representation by winning this historic election.”
“I am honored to be endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund,” said Rudy Soto. “LCV’s advocacy work toward environmental conservation through meaningful policy transformation is changing the face of the planet and of Washington. Environmental stewardship is core to my identity as an Indigenous person which is why I am dedicated to creating a healthier, safe environment for future generations and that requires a focus on equity.”
“The Latino Victory Fund is all about growing political representation of Latinos in government and I appreciate LVF’s efforts towards supporting the political participation of Latinos in Idaho who face many disparities and are deserving of a leader who will fight for them as well as all Idahoans and Americans in Congress,” said Soto.
Rudy Soto was born and raised in Nampa, Idaho. He is the son of a Mexican immigrant and is a member of the Shoshone-Bannock tribes of the Fort Hall reservation. If elected, he will be the first Native American and first Latino Democrat to represent Idaho in Congress. He graduated from Portland State University, the first in his family to attend college. Soto served as a soldier in the U.S. Army National Guard, worked as a staffer in the U.S. House, then became legislative director for the National Indian Gaming Association. In 2017, Soto was named one of the National Center for American Indian Economic Development’s 40 young professionals under 40 and in 2018 was one of HillVets 100 Top Influencers. During his time as a legislative assistant for U.S. Representative Norma Torres (D-CA-35), who was then serving on the House Natural Resources Committee, Soto handled energy, environment, agriculture, and transportation issues as part of his portfolio. Torres has a very strong 96 percent lifetime score on LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard.
About LCV Action Fund
The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Action Fund, the connected federal political action committee (PAC) of the League of Conservation Voters, works to elect leaders who stand up for a clean, healthy environment and to defeat anti-environment candidates who oppose climate action. Since the 1990 election cycle, LCVAF has helped elect and re-elect 90 U.S. Senators and 450 members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Over the last several years, our efforts have also helped elevate climate change and clean energy as critical issues in key elections.
About Latino Victory Fund
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.
