| GARDEN GROVE, CA After a week of back-to-back strong endorsement announcements from the Latino Victory Fund, United Steelworkers, ILWU, AFGE TSA Local 1260, Carpenters, and California Federation of Teachers, the Kim Nguyen-Penaloza for Congress campaign today announced another major endorsement from UNITE HERE Local 11, who represent over 32,000 hospitality workers across Southern California and Arizona.
A UNITE HERE housekeeper and CA-45 resident, Elizabeth Galindo, released the statement endorsing Coucnilwoman Kim Nguyen-Penaloza for Congress:
“On behalf of the over 32,000 workers employed in restaurants, hotels, airports, arenas, and convention centers throughout Southern California and Arizona, UNITE HERE Local 11 is proud to endorse Kim Nguyen-Penaloza for Congress. We need homegrown leadership in Congress that understands our communities and Kim will be a voice for working families across her district. We are excited to join Kim’s growing coalition that’s built to flip CA-45 and retire MAGA Michelle Steel this year!”
Councilwoman Kim Nguyen-Penaloza’s campaign for congress has over 100 federal, state, county, local, and labor endorsements, including Rep. Katie Porter, Rep. Sara Jacobs, Rep. Linda Sanchez, Rep. Jill Tokuda, Rep. Lou Correa, and the California Democratic Party. She is the only candidate for Congress in the nation endorsed by both BOLD PAC and ASPIRE PAC, the political arms of both the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Asian-American, Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Members of Congress. The LA Times editorial board has endorsed her campaign saying she’s the “Best Democrat” to defeat incumbent Congresswoman Michelle Steel. For a full list of endorsements, click here.
The daughter of a Vietnamese refugee and a Mexican immigrant, Kim Nguyen-Penaloza was the first in her family to graduate high school and college. At just 25, she won a historic election as the youngest person and first Latina ever elected to the Garden Grove City Council. A leader on women’s issues, Councilwoman Nguyen-Penaloza has stood up to harassment and sought equality and justice throughout Southern California and has fought to ensure that immigrants, like her parents, have the dignity and opportunity to succeed in our communities. A homegrown leader, Councilwoman Nguyen-Penaloza attended Clinton-Mendenhall Elementary, Doig, Intermediate, and Santiago High School. As a healthcare expert, she will bring a much-needed public health background to Congress, having formerly worked for CalOptima and now as a Program Manager for a large health plan. Kim is the Democratic Party endorsed candidate in CA-45.
CA-45 is one of the top pickup opportunities for Democrats in 2024. It is a Biden +6 district with a Democratic registration advantage of 5.6%. Asian-American Pacific Islander (AAPI) and Latino voters are a majority of the district at 51.6% — with Vietnamese voters making up the largest block of AAPI voters at 58.4%. If elected, Kim Nguyen-Penaloza would be the first person of Vietnamese descent ever elected to Congress in California and only the third in US history. She would also be the first Asian-Latina in Congress and one of a growing group of millennials seeking to make change on our most crucial issues.
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For an updated list on all endorsements, click here |
