CANDIDATES
WOMEN OF COLOR BREAKING BARRIERS
Inspiring Leaders
Representation Matters is honored to support progressive Democratic women of color running for elected office across the country. The candidates Representation Matters features are passionate, courageous, determined and inspiring leaders who have compelling stories of overcoming challenges and breaking barriers. Their unique experiences and perspectives need to be heard at every level of government to shape effective policy. They are all committed to preserving our democracy, and fighting for reproductive justice, racial justice, voting rights, LGBTQ+ rights, environmental protection, immigrant rights, and all that we value. They are the hope for a representative democracy and our future. #2021-candidates
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SENATE CANDIDATES – 2026
Peggy Flanagan (MN)
Peggy Flanagan is Minnesota’s 50th Lieutenant Governor, a member of the White Earth Nation, and is running for Minnesota’s open U.S. Senate seat in 2026. She is currently the highest ranking Native American woman in elected office in the nation. Peggy has dedicated her career to working with and delivering for middle and working class Minnesotans. Peggy served on the Minneapolis Board of Education from 2005 to 2009. She also worked at Wellstone Action, the organization founded to carry on the work of the late Senator Paul Wellstone for nearly a decade. As one of the original trainers of Wellstone Action’s signature program, Camp Wellstone, she trained thousands of organizers, elected officials, and candidates – including Governor Tim Walz. Peggy subsequently served as the Executive Director of the Children’s Defense Fund. In 2015, Peggy was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives, and in 2019, she was elected Lieutenant Governor. As Minnesota’s Lieutenant Governor, Peggy secured the largest tax cut in Minnesota history; made transformative investments in education, small businesses, and child care; and made the state a national leader in Tribal-State relations. If elected, Peggy will be the first Native woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate. Our early support will help her campaign get off to a strong start.
HOUSE CANDIDATES – 2026
Must Win Seats
Janelle Bynum (OR-05)
Rep. Janelle Bynum is currently serving her first term in Congress, representing Oregon’s 5th Congressional District. She was one of the few candidates who successfully flipped a district red to blue in 2024. Prior to being elected to Congress, Janelle served four terms in Oregon’s State Legislature, where she built a proven track record of working across the aisle and delivering results. She was instrumental in passing legislation that invests in mental health care, expands youth voter engagement, and supports women of color in the workplace. Janelle has been an advocate for lowering the cost of prescription drugs, protecting women’s reproductive freedom, protecting LGTBQ+ rights, building more affordable housing and addressing homelessness, taking on the climate crisis, and strengthening Oregon’s economy. She is a small business owner, an engineer and a mother of four. Janelle currently serves on the House Financial Services Committee. Republicans are targeting this seat, and It is critical that Janelle wins her re-election to ensure that Democrats take back the House in 2026. Republicans will fight to win this seat back, and our early support will ensure that doesn’t happen.
Congresswoman Sharice Davids (KS-03)
Rep. Sharice Davids currently serving Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District, ran for Congress to ensure Kansans have a representative who shares their values and interests. Sharice is a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, and when first elected to Congress in 2018, she was one of the first two Native American women and the first LGBTQ+ Native American to serve in Congress. Raised by a single mother who served in the U.S. Army, Sharice worked her way from Johnson County Community College to Cornell Law School, becoming the first in her family to attend college. She later focused on economic and community development for Native American reservations and was selected as a White House Fellow under Presidents Obama and Trump. Since 2018, Sharice has been re-elected three times with bipartisan support, advocating for lower costs, job growth, and a government that works for the people — not special interests. She currently serves on the House Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Small Business and Agriculture, and on the Steering and Policy Committee. She also has the honor of being a Chief Deputy Whip for the Democratic Party. This must-hold seat will be targeted by Republicans, so our support is critical to ensure she has the resources necessary to keep KS-03 blue.
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03)
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez currently serves in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, which is a Trump district, She is a fifth generation Latina Washingtonian. When she was first elected in 2022, she flipped a R+5 seat winning by less than a percentage point, by just two votes in each precinct. She became the first Democrat to represent WA-03 in twelve years, and the first Democratic Latina to win this district. Her re-election in 2024 was a rematch with the same far right conservative Republican backed by Trump, and was one of the most competitive House races in the country. She and her husband run an auto repair and machine shop, and she has deep ties to rural communities. Ranked as one of the most bi-partisan lawmakers in the House, she works hard to make things easier for working families. She currently serves on the House Committee on Appropriations. She is on the DCCC Frontline again this cycle, and in order for Democrats to take back control of the House, it is imperative that we keep this seat blue in 2026.
Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05)
Rep. Jahana Hayes currently representing Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District, made history in 2018 when she became the first African-American Congresswoman from Connecticut. This also marked her first service in public office, and she is now serving her 4th term in Congress. Previously a high school teacher, Jahana gained national attention when President Obama named her National Teacher of the Year in 2016. In this role, she traveled nationally and internationally to engage education stakeholders in discussions focused on enhancing student outcomes. Jahana’s life is a testament to triumph over adversity. Despite growing up amid poverty and addiction, and becoming pregnant at 17, she returned to school, earned multiple degrees, reached the zenith of teaching, and now serves in Congress. She attributes her success to education. Jahana stands as living proof that good government can work. She is the Ranking member of the House Committees on Education and Workforce, and a member of the Committee on Agriculture, where she serves as the Ranking Member of the Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture and Horticulture Subcommittee and on the Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Subcommittee. Her legislative interests include equitable education, affordable healthcare, food security, labor, veterans’ issues, gun violence prevention, and environmental issues. She is on the DCCC Frontline again this cycle, and needs our support to hold this seat and keep CT-05 blue.
Rep. Andrea Salinas (OR-06)
Rep. Andrea Salinas represents Oregon’s 6th Congressional District. When she was first elected in 2022, she made history as the first Democratic Latina to represent Oregon in Congress and despite Republican efforts to unseat her in 2024, she is now servimg her 2nd term in Congress. Andrea is the proud daughter of a Mexican immigrant, a first-generation American, and a dedicated public servant. She was the first person in her family to graduate from a four-year university. She is a former Oregon State Legislator who took on several leadership roles, serving as Oregon House Majority Whip and Chair of the Oregon House Healthcare and Behavioral Health Committees. While serving as an Oregon state Representative, she worked to pass the nation’s most progressive paid family leave bill. She also introduced and passed a bill that made Big Pharma accountable to consumers and led to lower prescription drug prices. In Congress, Andrea currently serves on the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Committee on Agriculture, where she is the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Forestry and Horticulture. Additionally, she holds leadership positions in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Democratic Women’s Caucus. She has a deep commitment to reproductive rights and workers’ rights. She is fighting to expand access to abortion care, tackle the climate crisis, and solve the issues that matter to families in her district and across the country. She needs our support to make sure she holds this seat.
Rep. Emilia Sykes (OH-13)
Rep. Emilia Sykes represents Ohio’s 13th Congressional District, known as the Birthplace of Champions. When first elected in 2022, she defeated a Republican Fox News commentator in a redrawn district, winning one of the toughest races in the country. According to SplitTicket.org, Emilia achieved the largest over performance of any challenger in a battleground district in the nation. The district includes two of Ohio’s 10th largest cities, Akron and Canton, as well as numerous suburban communities, and rural areas that include one of Ohio’s largest dairy farms. Sykes previously served 8 years in the Ohio House of Representatives including 3 years as Minority Leader. There she fought for tax cuts for middle-class and working families, funding for high-speed Internet, and higher wages and safer working conditions for Ohio’s workers. In particular, Emilia’s work on domestic violence issues earned bipartisan praise and resulted in her priority legislation, Ohio HB 1, to be signed into law, which protects the safety and security of people in violent relationships. In Congress, Emilia sits on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee where she works to rebuild our roads and infrastructure and protect our water resources and environment. Additionally, she serves on the Science, Space and Technology Committee where she guides research investment and technology development. Both committees are vital to the economic prosperity of Ohio and our nation. Emilia has earned several awards for her advocacy, including the EMILYs List national Rising Star award, Legislator of the Year from the Ohio Minority Business Enterprise, the Champion for Children award from Summit County Children’s Services, and 30 for the Future award from the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce. Emilia’s district continues to be one of the toughest to win. She is on the DCCC Frontline and her seat is a must win to ensure we take back the House in 2026.
Red to Blue
Dr. Yadira Caraveo (CO-08)
Dr. Yadira Caraveo is a pediatrician, an accomplished legislator, and the daughter of immigrants. In 2022, she was elected to represent Colorado’s newly drawn 8th Congressional District, becoming the first Latina to represent Colorado in Congress and the only physician in Colorado’s congressional delegation. In 2024, she ran for re-election but lost to a Republican funded by right wing super PACs by less than one percentage point. She has bravely decided to challenge the incumbent to flip this seat blue again. Before running for Congress, Yadira served as a member of the Colorado State House of Representatives from 2019-2022. She was the go-to expert for public health and health care legislation in local Colorado politics and was named a Champion of Change by President Obama for her work with the Union of Concerned Scientists enlisting doctors across the country in the fight against climate change. In Congress, she served on the House Agriculture Committee, was the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development, and was a member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. Her background as a pediatrician makes her a particularly powerful advocate for affordable health care and reproductive rights, and she has a deep commitment to fighting climate change and supporting the right to vote. Yadira needs our support in this highly competitive distrct to flip CO-08 blue again and take back the House.
CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR – 2026
Deb Haaland (NM)
Deb Haaland is a 35th-generation New Mexican, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna, a small business owner, a working mother who has lived paycheck to paycheck, a former Congresswoman, and served as the United States Secretary of the Interior for four years. Deb has a history of shattering glass ceilings. In 2018 she became one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress, and in 2020 President Biden appointed her to serve in his Cabinet, making her the first Native American to ever serve as a Cabinet secretary. While in Congress, Deb served on the House Committee on Natural Resources where she was a tireless advocate for the environment and environmental justice. As Secretary of the Interior she worked to protect public lands and endangered habitats. She also launched an initiative to investigate and rectify the legacy of federal Indian boarding school policies. She is a staunch advocate for reproductive freedom. Deb is now a Democratic candidate for Governor in New Mexico and if elected, will be the first Native American woman to serve as Governor in our country’s history. Deb needs our support now to start out strong and run a successful campaign in what will be a highly competitive and very expensive race.
CANDIDATES FOR MAYOR – 2025/2026
Barbara Lee
Oakland, CA
WON
Mayor-Elect Barbara Lee is the Honorary Chair of Representation Matters. She is a trailblazer who is well-respected for her life-long commitment to fighting for equity, justice and peace. She served in California’s state legislature from 1990 until 1998, and then served in Congress from 1998 until January, 2025. While in Congress, she was the highest ranking African American woman appointed to Democratic leadership. She was the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a founding member of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus. Barbara has been a mentor and role model to many of the junior women of color in Congress, as well as women of color candidates running for elected office for the first time. She has a deep commitment to ensuring that there will be many women of color serving in elected office to follow in the path she has paved. Barbara is known throughout the country for her lone vote against giving the President unlimited war powers after 9/11. In January 2025, at the encouragement of many of her former constituents, she decided to run for Mayor of Oakland, CA. On April 15, 2025, she won the special election to fill the remaining term of the former Mayor who had been recalled, and will continue to serve the community she loves.
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