Latino Victory Fund backs 4 new House Democratic candidates
Latest round of endorsements includes challengers to De La Cruz, Valadao and Lawler
A progressive PAC dedicated to strengthening Latino political power is endorsing four Democrats who are seeking to flip battleground House districts in 2026.
The Latino Victory Fund will back Tejano musician Bobby Pulido in Texas’ 15th District, school board trustee Randy Villegas in California’s 22nd, nonprofit executive Effie Guadalupe Phillips-Staley in New York’s 17th, and state Rep. Manny Rutinel in Colorado’s 8th, according to an announcement shared first with CQ Roll Call.
The candidates “embody their communities’ struggles and successes and are committed to advocating for working families,’’ Latino Victory Fund President Katharine Pichardo said in a statement. “Putting people over politics is their top priority, and they know firsthand the issues that matter — rising costs, health care, jobs, education, and a fair immigration system.”
Latino voters, long a key component of the Democratic Party coalition, have been shifting to the right in the Trump era. Ananalysis by the Pew Research Centerfound that Trump won 48 percent of the Hispanic vote in 2024, up from 36 percent in 2020.
Trump’s gains with working class Latino voters were evident in seats such as the South Texas district where Pulido is challenging Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz; the San Joaquin Valley district where Villegas is running to unseat Republican David Valadao; and the Denver-area district where Rutinel is vying to take on Republican freshman Gabe Evans. Phillips-Staley is campaigning against New York Republican Mike Lawler in a Hudson Valley district that Trump lost by less than a point last year, according tocalculations by The Downballot.
Before they can take on the GOP incumbent, all four candidates face competitive Democratic primaries. The races in Colorado and New York have drawn especially large fields.
Wednesday’s slate marks the second round of endorsements by the Latino Victory Fund. Over the summer, the group announced its support for four Latina candidates: Marlene Galán-Woods and JoAnna Mendoza, who are running for Arizona’s 1st and 6th districts, respectively; Denise Powell in Nebraska 2nd; and Carol Obando-Derstine in Pennsylvania’s 7th.
