For Immediate Release

Rep. Leger Fernández Cites Macías’s Lifelong Advocacy as Critical to Protecting the Working Class and Immigrant Families

Chicago, IL — Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández of New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District today endorsed Mayra Macías for Congress. Macías, a lifelong Democrat and Back of the Yards native, is running as an independent candidate to ensure residents have a choice at the ballot box this November.

“Mayra Macías had a conviction that we needed more Latinos, and especially Latinas to lead and serve in this Nation, so she got to work,” said Rep. Leger Fernández. “At Latino Victory, she helped candidates like me get elected, because she knows that we need a Congress that looks like America, a Congress that understands what it is like to struggle to make ends meet, but also that we need to build the dream of creating the good life for future generations. We need a Congress that will fight for the working class, for families like hers and mine, for families from rural New Mexico to vibrant Chicago. Mayra has never stood on the sidelines, she has been in the fight her whole life. I’m endorsing Mayra Macías because we need fighters like her who have earned their place to lead.”

Prior to running for office, Macías served as Executive Director of Latino Victory Project, working to develop and support Latino leaders for public office who fought for the issues that matter most to immigrant families, like good-paying jobs, immigration reform, and quality education. Her campaign now focuses on the same issues, and she is determined to support Latino and immigrant families in Chicago and beyond by tackling the affordability crisis and protecting residents from the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation machine.

“I’ve watched Rep. Leger Fernández fight every step of the way — first to get into Congress, and now every day for the people she represents. Her endorsement means so much to me as a fellow Latina who has dedicated her life to public service,” said Macías. “I was raised in a working-class immigrant family in Back of the Yards, and I know firsthand the countless issues our families must overcome to thrive — especially in the face of a federal government that cruelly and illegally targets us for simply existing. I’ve dedicated my career to serving my community, and I plan on doing just that in Congress.”

Congresswoman Leger Fernández is a 17th-generation New Mexican. She attended Head Start and went on to graduate from Stanford Law School. Rep. Leger Fernández won critical legal battles to advance voting rights, build health clinics and Head Start facilities, promote tribal sovereignty, and protect the environment. She was also a Clinton Fellow and Obama presidential appointee and worked as a White House Fellow on housing issues. In Congress, Rep. Leger Fernández serves on the House Rules Committee and is the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs.