PHILADELPHIA — Today, 314 Action Fund endorsed chemical engineer and Tustin Unified School Board President Allyson Muñiz Damikolas for Congress in California’s 40th Congressional District. A district won by Joe Biden but represented by Republican congresswoman Young Kim, this seat represents another top pick-up opportunity for Democrats heading into fall elections.
“We’re proud to endorse Allyson and stand with her to win back this toss-up seat. She is the only candidate in this race who voters can count on to protect a woman’s right to choose, expand reproductive rights, and push back against an extremist MAGA agenda in Congress,” said Shaughnessy Naughton, President and Founder of 314 Action. “Since the Dobbs decision, it has never been more important to elect solidly pro-choice leaders like Allyson who will lead the fight to make abortion legal again,” continued Naughton.
“I’m honored to have Action314’s endorsement and to join in their mission to elect more scientists to Congress: it’s never been more important to have practical leaders with STEM backgrounds crafting policies,” said Allyson Muñiz Damikolas. “I’m running for Congress because my community deserves an advocate who will put people before politics, particularly around our rights to reproductive freedom. As the mother of two daughters with a medical condition, I know that having access to contraceptives and reproductive healthcare could mean the difference between life and death, and I’ll do everything in my power to restore those rights for all of us.”
ABOUT ALLYSON MUNIZ DAMIKOLAS:
Allyson Muñiz Damikolas is an engineer, mom of three, and President of Tustin Unified School Board. Allyson was born and raised in Southern California, though growing up, her family struggled. Determined to rise from financial instability, Allyson earned a chemical engineering degree and joined an environmental consulting firm.
When Allyson’s daughters faced a complex medical condition, she paused her career to advocate for them in their hospitals and schools. Determined to uplift other students, Allyson unseated a 24-year incumbent and became the first Latina in over 30 years to join the Tustin Unified School District board. 8 months later, she defeated a recall attempt from MAGA extremists, and is now running for Congress to flip CA-40 from red to blue and send an authentic advocate for her community to Congress.
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314 Action Fund is powered by a grassroots community of over six million people working to elect scientists, doctors, and STEM professionals who will use science and facts to address our most pressing issues like climate change and health care. Since 2018, we have played a pivotal role in flipping the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, electing eleven Democratic scientists to federal office, as well as in helping over 400 statewide, state legislative, and municipal candidates win their races. In 2024, 314 Action Fund will continue working to elect science leaders and defeat climate deniers in Congress and legislatures across the country.