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I’ve never forgotten where I come from because I couldn’t, even if I tried.

I’m the proud son of a Mexican immigrant and a union construction worker. Growing up, we didn’t have much. We didn’t take vacations. We didn’t know what it meant to have “extras.� And when my dad’s work wasn’t enough, my mother made cakes to sell for families on the south side to keep us afloat.

What my family had was each other, and a belief that if we worked hard and looked out for our neighbors, we could build something better.

Nothing’s ever been handed to me. I’ve had to fight my whole life.

I fought for my own life when I got sick as a kid, and my family didn’t have insurance. Medicaid saved me.

I fought for better gun laws after the January 8th shooting in Tucson, where I helped save Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and saw firsthand what political violence can do.

I fought corruption and nepotism on the Sunnyside School Board to make sure families, not political insiders, came first.

I fought for abortion rights at Planned Parenthood, and I fought for a better Arizona every single day I served in the state Legislature.

When others backed down, I ran into the fight, because that’s what it takes to create real change.

At Planned Parenthood, I worked on the frontlines to stop Donald Trump’s attacks on reproductive rights. Whether it was defending Title X, pushing back against the global gag rule, or fighting state-level abortion bans, I stood up to those trying to control our bodies and our futures. I’ve never wavered — not when it was politically risky, not when it was unpopular, and not when it meant going toe-to-toe with those in power.

In the Legislature, I served in the minority every single year, and still got things done. I passed laws to expand access to mental health care, fund special education, protect union workers, and support Arizona’s growing film and tech industries. I helped secure millions in investments for Southern Arizona schools, infrastructure, and housing. I defended LGBTQ+ students and teachers from discrimination and worked to stop dangerous voucher schemes that drained funding from our public schools.

Like Congress, the Legislature had a Republican majority, but I never let that stop me from delivering for my community. I learned how to navigate the toughest environments to make progress. That’s the kind of experience we need now, because the fights ahead won’t be easy.

I carry with me the lesson my grandmother always taught me: pon tu granito de arena, put in your grain of sand. It means that every effort counts, that change is built grain by grain, person by person, moment by moment. That’s how I’ve approached public service my whole life.

Now, with so much on the line for Southern Arizona, I’m ready to keep fighting for you in Congress.

I’ll fight to lower the cost of living, protect your hard-earned Social Security and Medicare, and bring home federal dollars for roads, clean water, and housing.

I know what it’s like to struggle. I’ve lived it. And I know how to win tough fights, because I’ve done it.

This district deserves someone who will show up, roll up their sleeves, and get things done, not someone who waits for power to be handed to them. I’m not running because it’s easy. I’m running because I believe in us, and I believe in a future where everyone in Southern Arizona can thrive.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. Let’s fight — and win — together.