Why I’m supporting Mark Kelly for the U.S. Senate
By State Representative César Chávez
When I was three years old, my family and I made our way to the United States from Mexico in search of the American Dream. We first arrived in Pennsylvania; we were undocumented with little knowledge of English. We then made our way to Maryvale in 1996, when I was nine years old, full of hope of what our future could look like. From a young age, I saw how my father struggled to make ends meet. He worked tirelessly at a dairy farm, sometimes not coming home for days, enduring poor working conditions and suffering mistreatment because he was an immigrant who didn’t speak English. Despite working so hard, our family couldn’t get ahead.
My family’s story is not uncommon in my district. Like many of my constituents, I know what it’s like to be undocumented. I know what it’s like to live in public housing and lack the resources necessary to live comfortably. I know the difficulties our schools and teachers are facing because of insufficient public education funding. My experiences are what motivated me to run for office. I wanted to advocate for my community by making it fairer for the working class, revitalizing our neighborhoods, bringing jobs back into the district, and expanding access to affordable health care.
I know these are ambitious goals, and I can’t do it alone. I need partners at all levels of government who understand what Arizonans are going through, especially in the wake of this pandemic. I’m proud to support Mark Kelly for the U.S. Senate. I know he understands working-class families like mine, and he’ll fight to ensure Arizonans get the support they need.
Mark will be a senator for Arizona
We need an advocate in the Senate that understands that serving your country, and in this case, serving your constituents, comes above any partisan games. People in my district had been struggling long before the pandemic took its toll. Mark’s long career in the US Navy and his time at NASA give me confidence that he knows how to truly place service above self.
Arizonans need a senator that will work with others to get us through this crisis. Mark knows how to work as part of a team to accomplish the mission in front of him. He knows that the politics of the person sitting next to him can’t get in the way of working together to find a solution. He’ll use the skills he learned in the Navy and at NASA to get things done. He’ll be an independent senator for Arizona that will prioritize the issues that Arizonans care about, not the agendas laid out by party leaders.
Fighting for the issues Arizonans care about
The pandemic hit my district hard. Many of my constituents were essential workers, and testing for COVID-19 was not always accessible for them. But my district had issues with access to health care long before the pandemic. For me, ensuring that we can lower the overall cost of health care, reduce the cost of prescription drugs, and bring in more federal dollars to assist the community is very important. I know that Mark understands this issue, and he’ll fight to ensure my constituents receive the health care they deserve.
Even though many of the constituents in my district have remained in jobs essential to the workforce, they’ve still faced reduced hours and have lost household wages during this pandemic. The median household income in my district is $39,000 a year — that’s simply not enough for a family to live on. A big priority for me has been to bring in new, good-paying jobs, because I know they will revitalize my community. I know Mark will be a partner in this because he is not only focused on creating good-paying jobs for Arizonans, but also is committed to investing in jobs of the future by creating more incentives for technical training opportunities so Arizonans are prepared to succeed in these new jobs.
Lastly, I know Mark will fight for all Arizonans — no matter their race, nationality, or sexual orientation. As an LGTBQ person and as someone who knows what it’s like to live undocumented in this country, I know Mark will fight to ensure people like me, and people like the tens of thousands of Dreamers in Arizona, are not discriminated against because of who we are. Mark understands that it’s this diversity that makes us stronger as a state and a country, and he will be a champion fighting for equal rights for all of us.
For these reasons and many more, I was proud to back Mark from the very beginning of his campaign. It’s been great to see how his campaign has made it a priority to connect with so many Arizonans in every corner of the state. He’s made the time to listen to us, to understand our problems. He’ll make us proud in Washington.
So, Arizona, if you’re ready for a senator for Arizona, join me in voting for Mark Kelly this fall! If you’re able to, sign up to volunteer with Mission For Arizona to help get out the word about Mark.
