Three Latina candidates for Yakima Valley races make case for representation and housing at state Democratic gala

At the Washington State Democratic Party gala, three candidates running in the 14th Legislative District described their personal backgrounds and policy priorities as part of a push to flip the historically Republican district.

Maria Beltran, who said she is running for state senate in the newly drawn Latino-majority district, described her upbringing as the daughter of Mexican immigrant farmworkers in the Yakima Valley and told the crowd she is personally knocking on doors "2 to 3 hours a day." Beltran framed her campaign as an opportunity to bring long-underrepresented voices to Olympia: "In 2024, we have that chance for the very first time to elect 3 great candidates into the state legislature."

Chelsea Dimas, a Sunnyside native running for state representative position 1, identified as a longtime servant leader and as the first queer Latina candidate for that seat. Dimas emphasized housing and union priorities: "I believe that housing is a human right," she said, and said she would prioritize affordable housing and protections for workers regardless of immigration status.

Anna Ruiz Kennedy, running for state representative position 2, traced her path from arriving in Pasco in 1998 to serving on the board of a federally qualified health center. She said the board expanded the center's budget from $27,000,000 to $50,000,000 while adding school-based and mobile clinics serving agricultural communities, and argued electing three Democrats would expand child care and worker protections in Central Washington.

All three requested volunteers and small-dollar contributions to support voter contact and turnout in the months leading to the August primary and November general election. Their remarks came during a night of statewide leadership speeches urging organizing and turnout across Washington.