Primarying The Very Worst Blue Dog Democrat In Congress

Talia

Talia Fuentes isn't planning on officially announcing her candidacy for Congress until April 22 at the March of Science. But when I spoke with her she seemed very determined to seek election in a Phoenix-area seat occupied by an arch-conservative, though, not a Republican arch-conservative this time. I asked her if she'd be willing to introduce herself to DWT readers by talking a little about her 2016 campaign in a neighboring district and giving us an idea about what she learned and how that will come into play as she takes on the single most reactionary Democrat in Congress. If you like what she has to say, please consider contributing what you can to her campaign here.

Congressional Plans-- 2018
-by Talia Fuentes

Many people don’t willingly live in the desert, however I’ve lived here my whole life. I’m a third generation Arizona native. In April 2016, I learned that the Democratic Party in my state was not going to run a candidate for a non-incumbent seat. So despite our summer heat already being in full effect, I set out dressed in full business suit, going door to door to collect the 1,160 signatures needed to get on the ballot regardless of the odds. No one thought I’d succeed, and laughed when I said I would take on the challenge. However, on June 10, 2016, I filed with 1,371 signatures and I’ve continued to show them I mean business.



When I learned that a man named Andy Biggs had been anointed by the retiring incumbent, I could not stand idly by. This man is as if Ted Cruz and Donald Trump became one person. It was, and still is, a kick in the stomach that a man like him is representing my state at a federal level. In our state, we have an issue with gerrymandering and this district in particular is one that is marked impossible to win for the Democratic Party but I could not stand the thought that we were going to hand over another election to the Republicans without a fight for our values.

So I ran. And I ran a successful race on a platform of science. I’m an Applied Biologist who has done wildlife conservation in South Africa and I’ve helped spay and neuter dogs in Nicaragua. I began representing the US internationally in 2003 with the Toro Marching Band as one of the first Americans to play in the Chinese Plum Blossom Festival Parade. I was also a radio personality with KWSS 106.7 and KUKQ. I understand from an on-the-ground perspective how the American culture impacts the rest of the world.



I’m very fortunate for these experiences, but I have also done this with very little money. I grew up in a working class home. I’ve obtained scholarships and, at times, worked two to three jobs to ensure I could provide for both myself and my future. I am a single mother of a gifted student who tests in the 95th percentile. My political career has had an amazing impact on him. When he tells people what I’m doing he tells them, I’m saving the world. That has helped provide the vision for my 2018 campaign.



I am deeply concerned with the direction of the Democratic party in Arizona and the growing number of independents. I live in a district now where my representative is Democratic but is not aligning with Democratic principles. My party is fearful of the GOP which has led them to invest in specific candidates and shy away from primaries.



I was inspired by Bernie Sanders and the values he contributed to the 2016 DNC platform. He connected me to the party and helped me to understand that my perspective and voice have merit. He helped me understand that my diverse career in both communications and sciences could help move our government forward. He made such a huge impact in Arizona that I had a primary in 2016. Both of us where Progressive Democrats running in the most conservative District in the country. I won by 65.4% because I cared about the Democratic Party and didn’t want to burn it down, I set out to build it up.



This I will continue to fight at a Federal level for Democratic values without compromising my own. I will challenge those that help Trump and continue to vote in alignment with his platform. We are in a time where we must speak for education, climate change, the sciences, and the working/middle class. We need fighters, now more than ever, and I look forward to officially announcing my campaign at the Phoenix March of Science on April 22nd, 2017.