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Delia Ramirez | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2025 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's3rd district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Marie Newman (redistricted) |
| Member of theIllinois House of Representatives from the4th district | |
| In office December 21, 2018 – December 14, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Cynthia Soto |
| Succeeded by | Lilian Jiménez |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1983-06-02)June 2, 1983 (age 42) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Boris Hernandez |
| Education | Northeastern Illinois University (BA) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Delia Catalina Ramirez (born June 2, 1983)[1][2] is an American politician serving as theU.S. representative forIllinois's 3rd congressional district since 2023. ADemocrat, she is a member of the "Squad".
Before her election to the US House of Representatives, Ramirez served as a member of theIllinois House of Representatives for the 4th district from 2018 to 2023. The 4th district includes the Chicago neighborhoods ofEast Humboldt Park,Hermosa,Bucktown,West Town,Ukrainian Village,East Village, andLogan Square.[2][3] Ramirez was elected to the Housein 2018 and reelectedin 2020. She was the firstGuatemalan American elected to theIllinois General Assembly.[2]
In 2022, Ramirez was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives inIllinois's 3rd congressional district.
The daughter ofundocumented immigrants[4] fromGuatemala, Ramirez was raised in Chicago'sHumboldt Park neighborhood.[5] She graduated from Sabin Magnet Elementary School and earned aBachelor of Arts in justice studies fromNortheastern Illinois University.[2][5][6][7]
Before entering elected office, Ramirez worked and held leadership roles in social service agencies, nonprofit advocacy organizations, and local community organizations. Notably, she was president of theLogan Square Neighborhood Association from 2005 to 2007, executive director of the homelessness-focused nonprofit Center for Changing Lives from 2004 to 2013, and president of the Latin United Community Housing Association (LUCHA) from 2016 to 2019.[8][9]
In the2018 Illinois House of Representatives election, she ran for the open 4th district seat to succeed incumbentCynthia Soto.[2][10] Her primary issues of concern included stable housing and stable schools, reliable and responsible government, and public safety and justice reform.[8] She was part of a slate of Latino candidates backed by then-Cook County Commissioner and congressional candidateChuy García.[11] She was also endorsed by a number of local elected officials, labor unions, and progressive organizations, including U.S. RepresentativeLuis Gutiérrez, aldermenCarlos Ramirez-Rosa andRoberto Maldonado,Chicago Teachers Union, IllinoisAFL–CIO,SEIU Healthcare and Local 73,United Working Families, andOur Revolution Illinois.[12] Ramirez won a four-way Democratic primary election on March 20 with 48% of the vote, and she ran unopposed in the general election on November 6, 2018.[6]
After the 2018 general election, retiring incumbentCynthia Soto resigned effective December 18, 2018. Ramirez, the recent winner of the general election, was appointed by local Democratic leaders and sworn into office on December 21, 2018.[13] After serving the remainder of the 100th General Assembly, she was sworn into the 101st General Assembly on January 9, 2019.[2][10] She was a member of theIllinois House of Representatives Progressive Caucus.[14]
As of July 2, 2022, Ramirez was a member of the following committees:[15]
In October 2019, Ramirez was part of a group of Democratic state legislators who opposedChicago mayorLori Lightfoot's proposed plan for the use of a newreal estate transfer tax, arguing that a portion of the funds from the new tax should be explicitly set aside to address homelessness and affordable housing.[16][17] In early 2020, Ramirez chaired a task force in the state legislature focused on the condition of children of incarcerated people.[17]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Ramirez sponsored legislation to create a temporary moratorium on rent and mortgage payments and strengthen eviction moratoriums, but the bill was defeated after strong opposition from realtors.[18][19][20] However, she was able to pressure lawmakers to increase the size of a relief fund for tenants and landlords in the 2021 budget bill passed during the pandemic by 90%.[18] She also led a successful effort to include a provision that would provideMedicaid benefits to undocumented seniors in the budget bill.[21] Ramirez had been pushing for such a provision since 2019, and its successful adoption made Illinois the first state to provide Medicaid regardless of immigration status.[22][21]
In the 2021–22 session, Ramirez was named vice-chair of the newly created Housing Committee in the House, and introduced new legislation to address housing issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.[23] A version of this legislation passed and signed into law in May 2021 as the COVID-19 Emergency Housing Act, including provisions that created guidelines for administering $1 billion in federal funds for rent relief from theAmerican Rescue Plan Act of 2021, automatically sealing evictions filed during the pandemic, extending a statewide eviction moratorium until May, and pausing judicial sales of possession until July.[24][25]
On December 7, 2021, Ramirez announced that she would run in the2022 U.S. House election forIllinois's 3rd congressional district.[26][27] The district was anopen seat due toredistricting after the2020 U.S. census. In the Democratic primary election, she won 66% of the vote, defeatingGilbert Villegas, a member of theChicago City Council, andIymen Chehade, a professor and foreign policy advisor.[28][29] The district's electorate is heavily Democratic, and as such as the Democratic nominee was widely expected to win the general election in November.[27][29][30]
Ramirez defeated Republican nominee Justin Burau in the general election, receiving 68.5% of the vote.[31]
Ramirez ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. She defeated Republican John Booras in the general election, receiving 67.3% of the vote.
In 2023, Ramirez was among 56 Democrats to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21, which directed PresidentJoe Biden to remove U.S. troops fromSyria within 180 days.[32][33]
On July 18, 2023, she voted against a resolution that states that Congress rejects "all forms of antisemitism and xenophobia", that "the United States will always be a staunch partner and supporter of Israel", and that "the State of Israel is not aracist orapartheid state".[34] In a statement, Ramirez said, "The threat of antisemitism is real, it is deadly, and I wholly condemn it in the strongest terms... I believe we need to continue to work towards a world where the full humanity and rights of all Israeli and Palestinians are honored. This resolution does not do that, and therefore, I could not support it."[35] Eight other members joined her in voting against the resolution, allDemocrats:Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,Cori Bush,Jamaal Bowman,André Carson,Summer Lee,Ilhan Omar,Ayanna Pressley, andRashida Tlaib.
On October 25, 2023, Ramirez and eight other Democrats (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,Jamaal Bowman,Cori Bush,Andre Carson,Al Green,Summer Lee,Ilhan Omar, andRashida Tlaib), along with RepublicanThomas Massie, voted againstcongressional bi-partisannon-binding resolution H. Res. 771 supporting Israel in the wake of the2023 Hamas attack on Israel. The resolution stated that the House of Representatives: "stands with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched byHamas and other terrorists" and "reaffirms the United States' commitment to Israel's security"; the resolution passed by an overwhelming 412–10–6 margin.[36][37]
On August 1, 2025, while speaking at the second annual Panamerican Congress of theProgressive International in Mexico City, Ramirez said in Spanish, "Quiero decir algunas palabras en español por que yo soy Guatelmateca con mucho orgullio primero que soy Americana". The following week the Conservative publicationThe Blaze would claim that it translated to "I'm a proud Guatemalan before I'm an American."[38] The remarks caused Republican congressmembers and conservative commentators to call for her deportation,[39] claiming that her remarks portrayed a dual loyalty. Progressive pundits defended the statement, pointing out that a more accurate translation would be "I am Guatemalan with a lot of pride, first of all because I am American". Ramirez would take to X stating, "Honoring my Guatemalan ancestry only strengthens my commitment to America."[citation needed]
For the119th Congress:[40]
In October 2020, Delia Ramirez married Boris Hernandez. Hernandez is aDACA recipient.[4]
Ramirez is the firstUnited Methodist Latina in Congress. She has said: "In this church, my parents have shown me and my siblings that being a Christian is much more than words and certainly much more than participating on Sundays. Being a Christian is a way of living, a way of treating people, and the way we show the light of God through our actions."[47]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Delia Ramirez | 7,120 | 47.99 | |
| Democratic | Iris J. Millan | 3,076 | 20.73 | |
| Democratic | Alyx S. Pattison | 2,346 | 15.81 | |
| Democratic | Anne Shaw | 2,294 | 15.46 | |
| Total votes | 14,836 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Delia Ramirez | 31,797 | 99.98 | |
| Write-in | 6 | 0.02 | ||
| Total votes | 31,803 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Delia C. Ramirez (incumbent) | 16,136 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 16,136 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Delia C. Ramirez (incumbent) | 38,951 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 38,951 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Delia Ramirez | 37,296 | 66.39 | |
| Democratic | Gilbert Villegas | 12,990 | 23.12 | |
| Democratic | Iymen Chehade | 3,719 | 6.62 | |
| Democratic | Juan Aguirre | 2,175 | 3.87 | |
| Total votes | 56,180 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Delia Ramirez | 121,764 | 68.5 | |
| Republican | Justin Burau | 55,995 | 31.5 | |
| Total votes | 177,759 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Delia Ramirez (incumbent) | 174,825 | 67.3 | |
| Republican | John Booras | 84,987 | 32.7 | |
| Write-in | 96 | 0.0 | ||
| Total votes | 259,908 | 100.0 | ||
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's 3rd congressional district 2023–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 351st | Succeeded by |
