On Friday, Care in Action — a nonprofit, nonpartisan group dedicated to fighting for dignity and fairness for the millions of domestic workers in the United States — announced its endorsement of Delegate Hala Ayala in the lieutenant gubernatorial election.

Care in Action is backing Ayala because of her track record on care, including helping pass Medicaid expansion in 2017 and sponsoring Paid Family and Medical Leave legislation. If elected, she will become the first woman of color to serve as Virginia’s lieutenant governor.

Ayala expressed her gratitude for the endorsement on Twitter, stating that she plans to bring the voices of domestic workers to the table if she wins the election.

The group also announced their endorsement of six women of color who are running for House of Delegates.

• Del. Elizabeth Guzman (HD-31)
• Michelle Maldonado (HD-50)
• Finale Norton (HD-100)
• Irene Shin (HD-86)
• Del. Jeion Ward (HD-92)
• Del. Angelia Williams Graves (HD-90)

“We are proud to endorse women of color who will advance policies that improve the quality of life for domestic workers,” said Alexsis Rodgers, director for Care in Action Virginia. “Virginia has taken a crucial step in passing a Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights, and we need to continue to build on that momentum to prioritize the rights of care workers in all of our policies. That means putting women of color in positions of leadership at every level.”

The organization is endorsing a total of 13 candidates for House of Delegates for the general election on November 2, targeting women of color voters in Prince William, Newport News, Chesterfield, and Richmond. In 2019, the organization endorsed 12 Virginia candidates for the General Assembly and helped to elect 10 women.

All 100 seats in the House are up for election. A record number of 50 Democratic women are running for office, half of whom are women of color. Domestic workers — most of whom are women of color and immigrant women — are providing key support to elect more women with their shared experience into the state legislature. Black women are also a reliable voter bloc, and women of color are a growing part of the electorate.

“Census numbers show that Virginia is becoming more racially diverse,” said Rodgers. “Women of color cannot continue to be shut out of electoral politics when we are the brains and organizing power responsible for a lot of progress we see today. We need a greater representation of people and our issues in the state legislature. This means universal child care, paid leave and a path to citizenship.”

“Domestic workers have been ignored for too long in our policy decisions. Virginia can rectify that by electing care champions and increasing our access to political power.”

Recent polling has shown that Ayala has a significant lead over her opponent former Delegate Winsome Sears in the lieutenant gubernatorial election.

PW Perspective has proudly endorsed Delegate Hala Ayala in the race for lieutenant governor.