Illinois is projected to have elected progressive Delia Ramirez as the first Latina to ever represent the Midwest in Congress, marking a historic milestone for the region and the Latino community.
Ramirez was elected to the House on Tuesday, representing the state’s newly redrawn 3rd Congressional District. She won the district’s Democratic primary by a landslide earlier this year, with over 65% of the vote. The Democrat faced off with Republican Justin Burau in the general election, though her win was nearly guaranteed with the new district heavily leaning blue.
“The system isn’t created for people like me to represent them at the highest level of office,” the Guatemalan American told HuffPost in an interview. “I hope that making history in this way allows us to be able to create those uncomfortable tensions in Wisconsin and Ohio, in Minnesota and Indiana and Michigan. That we are here, we are capable, and we deserve and must be in places where decisions are being made for all people.”
New Member Of Congress For A New House District
Ramirez served as a community organizer and social services director before getting elected to the Illinois state House in 2018 and was serving her second term when she entered the race for Congress. As a state-level lawmaker, Ramirez expanded Medicaid coverage for seniors regardless of citizenship status, secured hundreds of millions of dollars for affordable housing, solidified the state’s abortion protections, and helped create an elected school board in Chicago.
While the newly redrawn district saw multiple Democratic contenders, she quickly became the progressive frontrunner – winning the support of the influential Chicago Teachers Union and progressive politicians at the city, state and federal levels.
Ramirez’s district was created a little over a year ago, specifically in response to the Latino community’s population growth in Illinois – particularly the growing migration into Chicago’s northwestern suburbs like Bensenville and Addison. In its previous drawing, the district was represented by progressive Rep. Marie Newman (D), who decided this election to run in the 6th Congressional District against incumbent Rep. Sean Casten (D) instead. Newman lost in the primaries.
The district now has the second-largest Hispanic population in the state, mostly covering the primarily Latino northwest side of Chicago – where Ramirez grew up – and moving into the northwest and western suburbs. Nearly half of the newly drawn district’s population is Latino, and Ramirez says the actual number is likely higher.
The Democrat brought up how some areas she’ll be representing never had someone who looks like her in a leadership position, including suburban areas Casten used to represent before the congressional map was redrawn.
“The first Latina, the first Guatemalan, and in some cases, the first woman of color,” she said of herself. “Because Sean Casten was their member of Congress and for much of DuPage [County], Sean was the first Democrat. I’m the first woman of color, and so it’s like, there’s so much to unpack.
“How we present ourselves in these spaces where we also know there’s still racial tensions and there’s still a lot of growth to have, and a lot of work to do to demonstrate, I think, a couple of things,” she continued. “One could be a proud, unapologetic Latina who can represent all people in the same way that white people can represent all people – and have always done it, right?”
Immigration Is An Important Issue But Not The Sole One
One of Ramirez’s top three legislative priorities is immigration reform, an issue she called “personal” and feels has constantly had to take a back seat in Congress. Ramirez spoke of her parents coming to the United States while her mother was pregnant with her, how her sister crossed into the country from a small village in southern Guatemala alone at the age of 12, and how her husband is a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient.
However, the newly-elected Democrat stressed that immigration is not the only issue Latinos care about – something her party has had trouble fully understanding. The Democratic Party has long struggled to reach Latino voters without relying on talking points of immigration. Ramirez hopes she can push the needle in the right direction when she takes office.
“We’re not monolithic. We represent 23 countries. And immigration is certainly one of the top three issues for us, but there’s also Latinos who have never been undocumented in this country,” she said.
Ramirez mentioned health care’s importance to the community, including access and affordability. She also said that, like other Americans, Latino voters also care about the economy’s impact and whether a community that often lives in multi-generational housing has the opportunity to create wealth through homeownership.
“Housing, economy, immigration – all these issues are so important to every single person, and certainly Latinos,” she said. “And when you hear people talk about where they are and what they need, I absolutely believe that Democrats are the party of Latinos. But we have to do a better job at explaining that and then bringing us in and not tokenizing us or patronizing us and making us the sole issue.
“So when I hear this back and forth, ‘Oh, Democrats are losing Latinos,’ and, ‘Democrats are losing them because of the religious factor,’ I think that’s a good excuse to make,” she argued.
Using faith to further solidarity
Growing up, Ramirez and her parents were very involved in their church. Ramirez herself has spoken about how her faith and family were the two most significant driving factors in running for office. She talked about how while she may be a Christian supporting abortion rights, there are still many religiously conservative Latinos who she said would align themselves closer politically to Democrats, like her mother.
“When you get to the core, there are those that are very conservative and are single issue. And I dare to argue that that is not the concentration of the majority of Latinos,” she said. “That there are Latinos that grew up in church and are more conservative, but that’s not what’s taking them to the polls or not taking them to the polls – it’s the everyday experiences of how they see life being lived, experienced.
“I think the other part of that is, how do we engage Latinos and how do we treat Latinos – how do we treat people of color period – because oftentimes we treat them as a transaction, as a method to get the things we need,” she continued.
She added that despite her stances on abortion and same-sex marriage, she still has the support of the Latino community.
“I have conservative pro-lifer Latinos who vote for me and support me and surround me and know my stance on same-sex marriage and abortion,” she said. “And also know my stance on helping the poor, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and creating a space to support and love all their children. And seeing them not as a factory worker that needs to make sure that they produce whatever amount of product per day but as a human that I see my mom in. That makes a difference.”
Remembering The Power In The Collective
Ramirez said that while she’ll be an active member of the Hispanic Congressional Caucus, she also wants to make sure she works with other racial caucuses to understand their barriers and come together to create a joint platform. The idea that Latinos are “the only ones experiencing certain things” is “a tactic that’s been used to divide and conquer us forever,” she said.
“I believe that no real transformation happens with one person. It’s a collective. It’s having those around you that see us as a ‘we’ and not an ‘I,’” Ramirez said, adding that one of her biggest messages to other women of color wanting to run for office is to “surround yourself with people who understand the importance of our shared liberation.
Ramirez said that women of color like her who have climbed the ladder of success also must extend that ladder down so others can follow.
“What you don’t want to be is the first and only. That self-preservation isn’t leadership,” she said. “My leadership is defined by how many people come with me and come after me.”