Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez first won this seat in 2020. Redistricting led her seat to geographically grow and become more competitive in 2022 but she still won 58-42% with Council for a Livable World’s support.
The daughter of bilingual education pioneers, Leger Fernandez started her education in Head Start, eventually going on to graduate from Yale and Stanford Law School. As an attorney and advocate, she won significant legal battles to advance voting rights, promote tribal sovereignty, and protect our environment and our acequia waters.
Leger Fernandez has been a major advocate in Congress fighting for compensation for those affected by the U.S. legacy of nuclear weapons production and testing. In 2021, she offered a successful amendment — that passed the House, but was ultimately stripped — to provide an apology to individuals and their families in states who were exposed to radiation from nuclear testing.
She also won Judiciary Committee approval of a bipartisan bill to provide compensation to Americans who were exposed to high levels of radiation and later developed cancer and other diseases due to the government’s nuclear testing program.
She currently serves on the House Rules Committee as Ranking Member of its Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget Process, the House Committee on Natural Resources as the Ranking Member of its Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs, and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
