A diverse group of Democratic House candidates running to flip Red seats Blue spoke to a global audience on September 22nd on why they chose to run in 2020, the experiences they will bring to Congress and the key issues that voters want addressed. There was universal agreement that the concern they hear most often is healthcare reform, particularly now that the Covid pandemic is spreading further across the country. You can listen to the discussion on the Global Women’s Caucus Facebook page here.
In this fourth online panel for this election cycle, the Global Women’s Caucus hosted its’ most diverse panel yet:
Desiree Tims is running in Ohio District 10, a swing district which Obama won in ’08 and ’12 and Trump won by less that 1% in ’16. Desiree is a lawyer and will be the first African-American and the first woman to represent the district. She told us that access to affordable healthcare is a critical issue for voters, as is creating jobs and ending gun violence. Desiree spoke of wanting to “… fight for the people” unlike
her opponent, and brings significant public service experience to her race. She worked in the Obama administration and on the Hill for Senators Sherrod Brown and Kristen Gillibrand, on reauthorizing the farm bill, promoting affordable childcare and environmental protection.
Patricia Ackerman is a candidate for Nevada’s 2nd district. She is the daughter of Holocaust survivors who endured horrific conditions during WW II and fled to America, determined to succeed. At the age of 21, Patricia started her first business and then had a variety of other careers from signing up to be an undercover FBI agent to becoming an accomplished high-altitude mountain climber. She spoke most movingly about her family’s experience with the American broken healthcare system, unable to find a doctor to accept Medicare for her mother in rural Nevada, leading to her death. On June 9th, she won the Democratic primary, and is determined to unseat a four-term incumbent Republican. Patricia is committed to immigration reform, speaking of how America opened its’ arms to her family to “live the American dream” but now that dream is “unreachable” to today’s immigrants.
Teresa Leger Fernandez, New Mexico 03 was born and raised in rural, northern New Mexico, and is proud of the multi-cultural region she is running to represent in Congress, a diverse mix of Native American, Latino and non-Hispanic Americans. She pointed out that New Mexico is one of the poorest states in the country and in her work as a lawyer she has been committed to making a positive social impact. She has represented indigenous tribes, their business entities and communities, and helped develop community health facilities. She spoke of being a breast cancer survivor and losing two brothers to addiction, so is a fierce proponent of universal access to health care.
Hiral Tipirneni, an emergency room doctor for most of her career, is running in Arizona’s 6th District. Hiral is herself an immigrant who came from India as a three year old with her parents who were seeking a better future for their children. She became a cancer research advocate after losing her mother and nephew to cancer. Hiral has said that, while working in the emergency room she “… saw first-hand the consequences of failed Washington leadership.” She is committed to healthcare reform, expanded family and medical leave and policies protecting women’s reproductive rights. On August 4th she won a 4-candidate Democratic primary and is facing a Republican incumbent who recently admitted 11 violations of campaign finance regulations, resulting in a $50,000 fine.