Nicole Lopez wants to give people someone to vote for—not against

Nicole López is a first-generation Latina and a native of Southern California who is currently running for California's 42nd Congressional District. The Democratic candidate hopes her campaign will provide a platform for building a stronger connection between elected officials and their constituents. In a recent interview with CALÓ News, López discussed being moved to run after COVID's impact on working-class communities. Currently, she is running against the incumbent Robert Garcia but aims to offer a different kind of leadership by being an active part of the community and engaging with constituents.

López's passion for public service first led her to run for Congress in the 2022 election to represent California's 42nd Congressional District. She was inspired to run for office after working in Washington D.C. “I saw firsthand the gravity of the situation, and how it was impacting people of color, working-class folks, many of whom were on the front lines during COVID,” she stated. 

Like so many working-class Latinos, López’s family was directly impacted by the economic hardships of the pandemic. Her family’s bus transportation company, which provided services similar to Greyhound, suffered significant setbacks due to the travel restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “My family's business was struggling and my brother was a frontline worker trying to keep it together,” she said.

Drawing from both her life experience and time working in the government, López expressed frustration about the negligence shown by politicians toward the brown working-class constituents. “I started talking with my neighbors,” said López, “I realized there is such a large disillusionment around politics and politicians in our community where folks feel left behind and forgotten about.”

To combat electoral disillusionment, López decided to give the 42nd district an option to elect a leader in 2024 who is not only embedded in the community but from there as well. Regarding the current representative of the 42nd District, Robert Garcia, López expressed her disappointment and concern with his previous term. She noted his lack of response to the ongoing situation in Palestine and his insufficient efforts to engage with the members of the community.

Some of the key issues in López's campaign include rent control, an increase in the minimum wage, Medicare For All, and The Green New Deal. Despite being only 29 years old, and among the younger candidates running for the 42nd District, López has a plethora of relevant experience. From 2018 to 2019, she was employed as a lobbyist in Washington D.C. where she passionately advocated for more equitable policies and reforms. During this time, she advocated for more aid for the victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, established a Smithsonian American Latino Museum, and pushed for the reversal of Trump's Muslim travel ban. 

Her experiences on Capitol Hill fueled her passion to create change in her home state of California and prepared her for the bureaucratic challenges of politics. “What I found in D.C. was that many of the folks who are in Congress don't have that lived experience,” said López,  “because of that, they are introducing legislation that does not even touch the surface on how to address the inequities that exist in our community.” 

López is passionate about several legislative issues, including immigration reform.  She said the “red tape” makes it nearly impossible for working-class folks to be able to apply for citizenship or residency.  California has been one of the main states receiving the current influx of migrants from Central and South America. As the daughter of immigrants, López said she has a first-hand understanding of how broken the immigration system is in the country.

López believes that her personal experiences are crucial to her political campaign. She recounted times when she lacked health insurance and faced difficulties in repaying her college debt, which are hardships many voters resonate with. López's connection with the people of the 42nd District distinguishes her from her opposition.

With the primary election (March 5, 2024) drawing near, López continues to tap into the roots of her community and rally volunteers. Whether or not she wins, López said her decision to run again is more about giving people options and holding current elected officials accountable. The end goal for her campaign is to make sure voters know there's at least one candidate in the race who is invested in and cares about community members.

“This is not just another step in his political career to get into higher office,” she said,  “I just couldn't stand by and let another 20 years pass with more of the same.”