ARIZONA
Ylenia Aguilar
Corporation Commission
Ylenia Aguilar, a dedicated advocate for Arizonans, was born in Mexico and has called Arizona home for 32 years. Raised in both Arizona and rural Illinois, she brings a diverse perspective to her work. Ylenia has served her state and country with unwavering dedication since becoming a US citizen a decade ago. A devoted mother of two sons, Ylenia understands the importance of fighting for a better future for Arizona families. Her commitment to advocacy is reflected in her extensive experience, including serving as a Governing Board Member in the Osborn School District, a trustee on the Vitalyst Health Foundation Board, and a member of the Central Arizona Water Conservation District. Ylenia is participating as a Clean Elections Candidate because she believes a Corporation Commissioner shouldn’t take money from special interests and the corporate entities they are elected to regulate.
Lorena Austin
9th Legislative District (House)
Lorena Austin is a 5th generation Arizonan whose lifelong love for advocacy and leadership has been rooted in Mesa for almost a century. For over twenty years, Austin's grandparents owned and operated Albert's Market in Mesa, which served all residents including minorities residing in segregated neighborhoods. Lorena is a proud Mesa native and has remained actively engaged in their community, volunteering with various organizations. Their dedication to activism extends to their role as a State House Representative, where they have fought for access to abortion, funding Pre-K-20 public schools, and championed LGBTQ+ rights. In their first term, Lorena was able to secure $40 million for the Arizona Promise Program, which helps fund college education for Arizona students. Currently, Lorena serves on the State House Appropriation and Commerce committees, is the Secretary of the Latino Caucus, and is a member of the LGBTQ+ Caucus. They are running to retain their seat.
Patty Contreras
12th Legislative District (House)
Patty's family has been in Arizona for over 100 years. Her great-grandparents emigrated from Mexico before Arizona was a state and settled in Morenci where her great-grandfather worked the mines. She is originally from Somerton, a rural farm town in southwestern Arizona near Yuma but she has lived in the Phoenix valley for over 40 years and in the Ahwatukee-Foothills for over 30 years. Her and her wife have three grandchildren. She retired in 2021 from the City of Phoenix after over 31 years in the Parks and Recreation and Human Services Departments providing programs, activities, and resources for youth, teens, adults, and seniors. Patty believes strongly in public education, hard work, and caring for her neighbors. She is dedicated to protecting the environment and precious water resources. She believes, just as her father did, in the promise and opportunity of this country, and she is committed to fighting for freedom and democracy.
Nancy Gutierrez
18th Legislative District (House)
Nancy has been a resident of Arizona most of her life. She has lived all over the state including Phoenix, Flagstaff and Sierra Vista as a military spouse. She now lives in Tucson with her husband and two daughters. Nancy has held an Arizona Teaching Credential since 1994 and has previously taught in Paradise Valley and Sierra Vista. She has taught yoga at Tucson High since 2013. In 2017, she was on the board of the Tucson chapter of the National Organization for Women and then served as President for Tucson NOW in 2018. While stationed at Ft. Drum, New York, with her husband, Nancy volunteered for the American Red Cross and served as their Volunteer Coordinator. She has always volunteered in her two daughters' classrooms as a class mom, Committee Chairperson and President of the Manzanita Elementary FFO. At Tucson High, she was the Physical Education Department Chair for five years and is currently on the Safety Committee at Tucson High Magnet School.
Tanairí Ochoa-Martínez
29th Legislative District (House)
Tanairí Ochoa-Martínez's journey is one of remarkable resilience and determination. Raised in Phoenix, she has turned her challenges into strengths, shaping a path of impressive achievements. Ochoa-Martínez earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Relations with a minor in Social Entrepreneurship, Saint Mary’s University ‘13, followed by a Master's in Public Administration ASU ‘17. Currently, as a PhD candidate at Arizona State University, she focuses on Bi-National Economic Development, demonstrating her deep commitment to fostering cross-border economic ties. She is committed to ensuring every child in Arizona receives a quality education, that small business owners are supported, that personal medical decisions should be made between a patient and their doctor, and that sustainable solutions are supported for the agricultural community.
Mariana Sandoval
23rd Legislative District (House)
Mariana is dedicated to helping people. After high school, she put herself through college at Los Angeles Mission College and graduated with a degree in Interdisciplinary and Paralegal Studies. Mariana believes education is the great equalizer because it empowers the community to create sustainable futures. She served on the Agua Fria Union High School Board for four years where her priorities were to expand opportunities for underserved and marginalized constituents and to increase teacher compensation. She continues her service as Ex-Officio Member on the Board of Directors for the Arizona Latino School Board Association. She was elected to the State House of Representatives in 2022 and is running to retain her seat. She approaches every situation and every challenge with a desire to help make people’s lives better and give every Arizonan an opportunity to thrive.
Priya Sundareshan
18th Legislative District (Senate)
Born and raised in the district, Priya loves Tucson and the opportunities she had for an excellent public education and exploring the outdoors. She now teaches natural resources law at the University of Arizona, and previously advocated for sustainable resource management with the Environmental Defense Fund. As a voting rights advocate, she has been leading voter protection efforts and engagement on redistricting within the Arizona Democratic Party. She studied engineering at MIT and law and natural resource economics at the U of A. She knows more science-based decision-making needs to happen in politics, especially when it comes to preserving the beautiful state of Arizona for future generations. As a mother of two small children, she wants her children and all children to inherit a sustainable world and sustainable Arizona.
MICHIGAN
Aisha Farooqi
57th Legislative District (House)
Aisha Farooqi’s family immigrated to the US after her mother earned a scholarship to study at the University of Detroit-Mercy. Years later, she graduated from her mother’s alma mater with a degree in law. As a public service attorney, Aisha took on clients turned away by others. Aisha will advocate for fully funded schools, lowering the cost of living, affordable healthcare, reproductive freedom, and workers’ rights. A prosecuting attorney, Aisha is honored say the words, “Aisha
Farooqi on behalf of the people” and will carry that same pride into the state legislature as she works for the people of District 57!
Shadia Martini
54th Legislative District (House)
Shadia was born in Aleppo, Syria to two surgeons. Her mother was the first oral surgeon in northern Syria and a staunch feminist in a deeply conservative society. Shadia's mother encouraged her to attend the University of Aleppo, where she went on to complete her B.S. in architectural engineering as one of the only women in her class. She subsequently taught at the university. While teaching there, she received a scholarship from the government of Austria to do research at the University of Economics in Vienna. Not wanting to return to dictator-led Syria, Shadia immigrated to the United States in 1992, moving to southeast Michigan. She has lived there ever since. She now owns her own real estate brokerage, construction company, and medical spa, all in southeast Michigan. Shadia has been a human rights activist and volunteer aiding Syrian refugees fleeing persecution for over a decade. She was a leader in the drive to pass national legislation in 2019 that codified accountability against human rights abusers in Syria. She is ready to utilize her advocacy experience in Lansing to pass common-sense legislation to give back to the southeastern Michigan community that welcomed her over 30 years ago.
OREGON
Annessa Hartman
40th Legislative District (House)
Oregon State Representative Annessa Hartman is a member of the Haudenosaunee, Cayuga Nation, Snipe Clan, and the third Indigenous person elected to the Oregon House of Representatives. Representative Hartman serves House District 40, including Oregon City, Gladstone, and Unincorporated Clackamas County. Representative Hartman’s legislative focus includes supporting working families, human services, and infrastructure, which stems from her experiences as the child of a single, working mother, and being a Gladstone City Councilor. Transparency, accessibility, and amplifying historically unheard voices are guiding values that have impacted her work to diligently view policy from an equitable lens, empowering others to speak their stories to local leadership. Representative Hartman’s background in events and hospitality has enabled her to utilize her strengths in planning, goal setting, collaboration, and communication. Hospitality can be a thankless calling-like leadership that builds small wins and eventually leads to monumental change with diligence, focus, and humility.
PENNSYLVANIA
Patty Kim
103rd Legislative District (Senate)
Patty was born to first-generation immigrants from Korea, who moved to California in the 1960s. She graduated from Boston College in 1995, and moved to Harrisburg in 2000 to raise a family with her husband, John. She spent years covering news across Dauphin County at a local television station. Patty has gotten to know her neighbors through decades of living, worshiping, and helping with projects in her community. Patty’s public service started in 2005 with a run for Harrisburg City Council. Her daughter was one year old, and she wanted to help make Harrisburg a better place to raise kids. Since 2012, Patty has represented served in the State House, fighting to pass livable wages, fully funded schools, and access to affordable health care. Patty has been committed to transparency throughout her career. She was one of the first members of the entire legislature to post all of her office’s expenses online, and every year she returns the legislature’s annual pay raise to the state.
Anna Thomas
137th Legislative District (House)
Born and raised in Bethlehem Township, Anna Thomas grew up in a family of immigrants from Malaysia and India. She was shaped by her family’s Christian faith, devotion to serving others, and emphasis on contributing to the Lehigh Valley community. Anna received her degree in chemistry from Wellesley College. She went on to earn a MPA degree from the University of Pennsylvania and has continued her work in public service by partnering with government and community groups focused on public safety and climate change. Anna knows that communities have complex issues and is ready to fight for sensible solutions that balance individual, community, economic, and environmental needs. Anna wants government policy to be driven by common sense and fairness. She will focus on helping all people in the Lehigh Valley regardless of where they live or who they voted for.
UTAH
Davina Smith
69th Legislative District (House)
Davina Smith is aiming to advocate for rural and indigenous communities. Hailing from Monument Valley, Utah, Davina is an enrolled member of the Diné (Navajo) tribe, belonging to the Ta'chii' nii (Red Running into the Water) clan and born to the Ta' baa ha' (Edgewater) clan. Inspired by her grandmother Katherine Smith, who bravely defended her land during the Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement Act of 1974, Davina is committed to improving conditions in rural Utah. She seeks to ensure fair wages, quality education, and accessible healthcare, and remains hopeful for a prosperous future for her community. Her grandmother told her to go out in the world and learn as much as she could so someday she could go home and make things better for her community. She is doing just that, and has instilled those same values in her four kids.
WASHINGTON
Maria Beltran
14th Legislative District (Senate)
Maria Beltran was born and raised in Yakima. She is the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants and agricultural workers. Maria has worked for Meals on Wheels and local food banks. In policy roles, Maria worked directly with farmers and growers, ensuring they had access to resources and grants to help their businesses thrive. She worked with farm workers and labor unions to protect family-wage jobs, safe working conditions and retirement benefits. During times of crisis, she worked with families, veterans, and seniors to navigate housing and food assistance resources and helped folks who had lost jobs or were living on limited incomes find opportunities to get back up and back on track. In 2020, Maria became the youngest Board President of OneAmerica, a statewide non-profit organization that advocates for immigrants and refugees. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Maria believes everyone deserves to feel safe, seen, and loved.
Chelsea Dimas
14th Legislative District (House)
Chelsea Dimas is a longtime servant leader, communications professional, and proud daughter of Indigenous immigrants from México (Nahua and Purépecha) with a long family history of hard-working campesinos. Chelsea has spent most of her life fighting for her gente (people) by being on the frontlines with them, demanding rights and protections for farmworkers, immigrants, reproductive freedom, the LGBTQ+ community, and other vulnerable populations. From here at home in the Yakima Valley to the state legislature and across the nation, Chelsea strongly believes that everyone deserves a seat at the table to have a say in the decision-making process. Chelsea was the first openly Queer, Indigenous Latinx woman running for office in the city of Sunnyside in 2021 and is now the first (again) to be running as State Representative, in the NEW District 14.
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
3rd Congressional District
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez’s working-class roots run deep in Washington State. Marie’s parents met at Western Washington University, after her father immigrated from Mexico. Before being elected to Congress, Marie built an independent auto repair shop with her husband, Dean. They grew the shop to six bays and proudly provide living wage jobs in the trades. Like so many working families in Washington, Marie and Dean know how tough it’s been to navigate this economy. She worries about the rising cost of essentials like childcare, gas, and medicine. Marie’s connection to her district, Washington’s third, is deeply personal. She and Dean are raising their young son in a home they built themselves, just like many of their neighbors in rural Skamania County. Her experiences as a small business owner, mother, and active community member give her a unique perspective on the challenges faced by the people she represents.
Natasha Hill
3rd Legislative District (House)
Natasha Hill was born and raised in North Spokane in the Hillyard neighborhood. Raised with her 3 siblings by a single mother and maternal grandmother, she grew up on welfare, experienced food and housing insecurity, and witnessed domestic violence and substance abuse. Natasha worked hard to rise above her initial circumstances. She was the first person in her family to graduate from college, then obtained her law degree from Southwestern School of Law. She is now barred in California and Washington. She was selected by legislators in 2021 to serve on the Spokane County Commissioner Redistricting Committee. In 2022, she was elected to the House of Representatives. Last November, she became interim editor of The Black Lens News. She has spent 17 years representing people from diverse backgrounds in her legal practice, including those most vulnerable in the community. Natasha and her two children now live in the Cliff-Cannon Neighborhood on Spokane's South Hill.
Alexis Mercedes Rinck
Seattle City Council, Position 8
Born to struggling teenage parents, Alexis' grandparents stepped in to raise her. Growing up, she witnessed firsthand her own family deal with the cycles of incarceration, substance use, and homelessness. She got her start in politics fighting and successfully banning hydrofracking in New York State and improving consumer protections. She also canvassed and fundraised for Planned Parenthood. She is proud to have been awarded "Woman Leader of the Year" and a leader for LGBTQ+ justice. Alexis attended the Evans School at the University of Washington to start her career in public policy. She has used her policy expertise to support human services and public health for the 38 member cities of the Sound Cities Association, to direct emergency and severe weather response plans for people living unsheltered in cities across King County, and to lead fiscal policy analysis and budgeting for higher education currently at the University of Washington.
Emily Randall
6th Congressional District
Emily Randall, a third-generation Washingtonian, rose from a union household in Port Orchard to advocate for her community. In 2016, she flipped a state Senate seat and quickly rose to leadership in the state legislature, serving as Deputy Majority Leader. In office, Emily passed critical legislation that improved the lives of the community that helped shape her. From expanding post-partum Medicaid coverage to banning subminimum wage for folks with disabilities, passing pay transparency laws to championing programs to support low-income college students and apprentices to securing investments in essential infrastructure like Gorst and the ferries. Serving on the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee, the Senate Health & Long-Term Care and Ways & Means Committees, Emily has remained dedicated to fostering collaboration to implement the best ideas and make Washington State a model for the rest of the country.
Ana Ruiz Kennedy
14th Legislative District (House)
Ana was born in the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, and raised in Colima City, Mexico. Ana first came to Franklin County in 1998 and it became her home in 2009. She is the proud mother of her three beloved children. As Ana's children grew and were taught in the Pasco School District, she volunteered on the levy and bond campaign committee and the Pasco School District Facilities Task Force committee. She served as an Executive Committee member for the Somos Pasco Economic Development Strategic Vision. She was also a co-founder of the Pasco Taco Crawl and worked to get her vision come to fruition by leading the team who developed the Colima-Pasco Friendship Agreement with the State of Colima. She was also a member of the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs and served on the Boards of Tri-Cities Community Health, Tri-Cities Regional Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Pasco Development Authority, and many more.