For Immediate Release

Rep. Velázquez: Mayra Will Fight for a Congress That “Looks Like America and Defends Families Like Mine”

Chicago, IL — Today, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, the first Puerto Rican woman elected to Congress, endorsed Mayra Macías, independent candidate for Illinois’s 4th Congressional District. Macías, a lifelong Democrat and Back of the Yards native, is running as an independent candidate to ensure voters have a choice at the ballot box this November. Congresswoman Velázquez joins a growing list of Macías’s endorsers, including Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández, Moms Fed Up PAC, and Nuestro PAC.

“I am proud to endorse Mayra Macías for Congress,” said Rep. Velázquez. “I have seen Mayra work tirelessly for our communities. She has dedicated her life and career to addressing the needs of the working class and fighting for immigrant communities. Growing up in Puerto Rico to a working class family, I know that we need a Congress who looks like America and defends families like mine. Mayra has been doing just that for years, and I am confident that she will continue to do so in Congress.”

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 am incredibly honored to receive the endorsement of Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, a trailblazer who has spent her career opening doors for Latinas and fighting for the dignity of working-class families,” said Macías. “Growing up in Back of the Yards in a working-class immigrant family, I saw how much our community relies on leaders who aren’t afraid to stand up to powerful interests. I have seen and admired firsthand how Congresswoman Velázquez has been a tireless advocate for small businesses and immigrant rights, and having her support means the world to me. In the face of a Trump administration that continues to prioritize fear-mongering and aggression over the needs of our people, we need bold leadership more than ever. I’ve dedicated my life to public service, from the classroom to leading national movements, and I am ready to bring that same tenacity to Congress. With the Congresswoman’s support, I look forward to fighting for the resources and transformative legislation that Chicago families deserve.”

Born in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, Congresswoman Velázquez became the first member of her family to earn a college degree. After earning her Masters Degree from NYU, she began teaching Puerto Rican studies at CUNY Hunter College. In 1983, she entered politics, making history as the first Puerto Rican woman elected to Congress in 1992. In February 1998, she was named Ranking Democratic Member of the House Small Business Committee, making her the first Hispanic woman to serve as Ranking Member of a full House committee. Most recently, in 2006, she was named Chairwoman of the House Small Business Committee, making her the first Latina to chair a full Congressional committee.