Rep. Linda Sánchez is on a mission to increase Latino representation in Congress.
Sánchez, in March, took over the helm of the BOLD PAC, the campaign arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus that works to elect Latino and Latina Democrats to Congress. The goal, she said, is to ensure Congress is more representative of those who vote lawmakers into office, and the political action committee does that through recruiting candidates, providing financial assistance and making endorsements.
“If we don’t have elected representatives that are making policy decisions that look like the Americans they represent, chances are they’re going to get that policy wrong,” said Sánchez, whose district includes a portion of Los Angeles and Orange counties.
Southern California plays an outsized role in the PAC’s strategy for 2024, said BOLD PAC’s executive director, Victoria McGroary.
“California is just so critical for our efforts as a party to take back the House,” said McGroary. “The key is really going to run through California in terms of who has the majority in the House.”
The PAC is focused on three congressional races in Southern California: CA-31, CA-40 and CA-45.
The 40th and 45th congressional districts are held by two incumbent Republicans, Reps. Young Kim and Michelle Steel, respectively. They are two of the first three Korean American women elected to Congress and work with Republicans to court Asian voters.
In CA-40, which covers eastern Orange County and a bit of western Riverside and San Bernardino counties, the PAC is backing Allyson Muñiz Damikolas, the first Latina elected to the Tustin Unified School Board.
For CA-45, covering Orange County and a portion of Los Angeles County, the PAC is supporting Garden Grove Councilmember Kim Nguyen-Penaloza, the daughter of a Vietnamese refugee and a Mexican immigrant. When she first won her seat on the Garden Grove City Council — where she represents the eastern District 6, home to the…
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