Introducing LatinasRepresent

Political Parity, in conjunction with the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, is launching LatinasRepresent, an initiative to call out the lack of elected Latina leaders in this country and change the political landscape to reflect all Americans.

Women’s political representation in this country has long lagged behind that of men. Even with women’s representation in Congress at an all-time high, the U.S. House of Representatives has only 79 women of 435 members; the Senate, 20 women of 100 members. This is far from equal, given that women make up 50% of the nation’s population and more than half of regular voters. While progress is being made, with more and more women running for and winning higher office, we’re keenly aware that more must break through.

Latinas, 25 million strong and growing in the U.S., have increasing influence in our culture, communities, and at the ballot box. Despite this, however, they are dramatically underrepresented in politics, with only 108 Latinas serving in state or national political offices—out of 8236 total seats. While often encouraged as voters, Latinas are rarely encouraged as candidates.

Throughout our nation’s history, we’ve struggled to build a reflective democracy, where everyone has a voice and a seat at the table. That struggle continues today. We earnestly believe our elected officials ought to reflect the rich and growing diversity in our communities.

LatinasRepresent is ready for change. We’ll unite stakeholders and communities around the country; raise up models of success to serve as road maps for replication at state and national levels; embolden current and future Latina candidates; and drive a national conversation about the need for increased Latina representation.

What we need now is you.

Your support, credibility, and leadership will amplify our message and help us change the political landscape of this country for the better.