Nicole López, daughter and granddaughter of Mexican immigrants, seeks to become the youngest congresswoman in the country, representing the new district 42 encompassing southeastern Los Angeles, cities predominantly Latino and working class communities such as Bell, Cudahy, Maywood, Bell Gardens, Downey, Bellflower, Lakewood, and Long Beach.
If elected, at 27 years, Nicole would be the youngest woman elected to Congress.
“The new district 42 You deserve representation that understands your concerns; and that he looks out for his community”, he says in an interview with Real America News.
Really – he says – it is sad and frustrating that people do not know their congressmen.
Nicole grew up in the communities from Huntington Park and Downey. She studied sociology and politics and women’s studies.
“During the pandemic, like many families, my family suffered a lot, we almost lost our bus business Fronteras del Norte that we have had for 04 years”, he says.
And he remembers that it was his grandfather, who came as a bracero to this country, the founder of the transport company, from which the whole family lives.
“Covid brought many restrictions to travel. It was very stressful running the business. We lived in fear that my brother, who worked in person, could get sick.”
But they also feared for his father, who suffers from diabetes.
“What was going to happen to my dad if he got sick. Those same stories of concern, the people of the community had. They couldn’t pay the rent, they couldn’t go to school, many didn’t have access to the Internet”.
She says that when she asked the people, if they had already spoken with their congressman, they answered that they did not know who he was and if they could call him.
Nicole says that she has always been very involved with the community, and they know her very well .
“Since I was a child I wrote letters to the presidents and I feel that I got a lot of the passion from my grandfather for contributing to the community. He helped fix the plaza and the temple of his town in Michoacán, Mexico”.
From 2019, Nicole participates in Supermayority, an organization dedicated to preparing Black and Latina women to be leaders and to vote.
That is why – he assures – he is not intimidated by having candidates for the district as political rivals 33, people like Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia and Democratic Assemblywoman from Bell Gardens, Cristina Garcia, who already have a name and a career in politics.
“No way. That’s why I chose the phrase ‘with enthusiasm and without fear’ as the slogan for my campaign. My grandfather Roberto López, who died in 2012, always told us that things had to be done ‘with much desire’. So we are running this campaign without fear of competing with very powerful people like my opponents”.
Nicole says that when voting , people do not understand who has more money or how long they have been in politics.
“What matters to them is if you are with them. When I have gone to speak with the Bell Gardens Neighborhood Union, they tell me that they do not know the mayor of Long Beach or his policies”.
The young Democratic candidate identified as progressive, says that her campaign is being done by talking to people.
“For me, the greatest support is from the people, not from those who have a lot of money or from the leaders of the ruling class (the establishment)”.
He comments that candidates like Robert and Cristina García seek to go to Congress to advance in their political careers, but they are characters who are not present in the communities and the voters feel that they do not take them seriously.
“I would like to have the opportunity to have a debate with them to talk about the important issues in the community”.
The issues that I would give priority to as a congressman would be: immigration reform, the cancellation of student loans and salary increases.
“Workers are very concerned about rent, especially in our communities; and they are suffering, between paying the rent and buying to eat”.
But also – he says – that Another of his topics would be to support small businesses that have suffered greatly during the pandemic.
“Many Latino families have their own small businesses; and I want to fight for them”.
If you admire anyone, it is New York Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio Cortez, who at the age of 29 years, became the youngest woman to be elected to Congress, unseating Democratic caucus leader Joe Crowley, who had 10 periods in office.
“It takes a lot of courage to launch a campaign. I admire her so much for her courage and compassion for our community. It motivates me a lot”.
Nicole comments that sometimes young people are not taken seriously as candidates or voters.
“Our concerns are not considered when there are boys who have not met the 18 years and already want to help. Many young people do not feel supported and think that their concerns about the environment, because the school is cheaper or free, are not taken into account”.
Nicole says that as of Monday 18 of April will be dedicated 100% to your campaign. “I will be working day and night”.
Worked virtually in the organization Supermajority.
“From 6 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon every day, and then my campaign would start”.
What he never imagined is that his headquarters campaign would be the room she grew up in as a child in her parents’ house.
“At first they were a little nervous when I told him that I was going to run as a candidate. Now they are very proud of me.”