As a country, we should be moving forward, but instead conservative lawmakers keep dragging us back.
I spent my 20s earning minimum wage decorating cakes for a living. But one day, I looked in the mirror and realized I wanted more, for me and my people. I saw too many Native Americans struggling, and I realized we should have a voice in who our elected officials are.
In 1881, my dad's grandparents, who were Norwegian farmers, immigrated to the United States - the same year my great grandfather from Laguna Pueblo was put on a train to Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania.
We must be welcoming to those who flee their country because of violence and abject poverty in hopes of a better future - that's who we are as Americans.
The immigration policies that Donald Trump and the Republicans are pushing are downright hateful and must be stopped.
The GOP wants to cut funding for birth control, place undue burdens on clinics that serve low income women and families, and defund Planned Parenthood.
We can't afford to compromise on anything we have fought for - abortion is legal in our country, and I will do everything in my power to stand up for the rights of women and all people to choose when and how they build a family.
I will continue to be at the forefront, participating in rallies, marches, letter-writing campaigns, and fighting for federal funding for Planned Parenthood. And, I will always oppose the nomination of any anti-choice U.S. Supreme Court Justice.
In Congress, I will fight for an education system that bridges the opportunity gap in order to help close the achievement gap, and prioritize models that sustain and enrich whole people and communities.
During my elementary and middle school years, my mother made me and my siblings' lunches every single day - this was affordable for a Marine climbing the ranks and supporting a family of six.
My mother was a stay-at-home mom until I turned 14, and up to that point, we were made to study hard after school each day, and appreciate what my dad called 'a free education.'
We are not strangers to poverty in New Mexico.
The promise of American opportunity and prosperity means something different to each of us. What we each envision varies in terms of wants and needs, and aspirations can change over time. But we all want to see our children have more opportunities than we had.
Too many American families go bankrupt from healthcare expenses, and low wage workers have to hold two or three jobs just to make ends meet, which leaves many young children without any hope of having a pre-K education - the most important start to a good education and a path out of poverty.
Like many New Mexicans, I enjoy spending time outdoors and understand how important New Mexico's natural beauty and resources are.
I'm concerned that if we don't do more to protect our open spaces and reduce climate change, there will be devastating and lasting impacts on us and future generations.
I will fight special interests in Washington who exploit Native, rural, and low income communities for the purpose of fracking and drilling that pollutes our environment. No short or long term gain is worth polluting our water. Water is life.
While the Pilgrims landed on 'Plymouth Rock' in 1620, the Spanish had already settled in to the Southwest beginning in the late 1500s, and with the coming of Europeans, some tribes suffered massive declines in populations due to disease and violence. Some Tribes were wiped out by 90 percent, while others were completely decimated.
I am disappointed and frustrated by the FCC's decision to ignore the vast majority of Americans across the political spectrum, and instead side with corporations that now have the power to manipulate Internet access based on who can pay more.
Net Neutrality is Internet freedom.
A free and open Internet is crucial for innovation and the exchange of information and ideas. It allows grassroots communities to organize and mobilize against injustice across our nation and the globe. It's good for business, consumers, and our entire economy.
The Republicans cry for smaller government; however, it seems that at every turn, they work at interfering with the lives of Americans, and we can add food-choice to the list.
I have spent my life fighting for the underrepresented and I am working tirelessly to be New Mexico's champion in Congress.
Trump continues to diminish the office of the Presidency.
In Indian communities, it's a separate sovereign government, so you have to get permission from the tribal leadership before you can start campaigning on their land.
In 2008, I was a full-time volunteer for Barack Obama's first election. I'd take a carload of people and we'd go and canvass in a Native American community every evening.
We are pushing for Medicare-for-all. That's an economic issue - it really is. And if we can work toward a fair, more-equitable system for working families, everybody would have health care.
I think Nancy Pelosi is extremely qualified to be speaker of the House, because she has been speaker of the House. I trust her leadership. I trust her judgment.
Elizabeth Warren has been a champion for working people. She has been a champion for Native people. She has been a champion for education and all of the things that we should care about in this country.
We have to protect our democracy.
My first job was at a local bakery, and when I graduated from high school, I was promoted from retail sales to cake decorator.
I wasn't raised to make history. In high school and family, no one around me was politically involved, and few of my friends planned to attend college or even thought about it.
We need more people in office who understand struggle. In Congress, I want to take my experience and fight to expand support for families who are hurting.
Every American has a right to food, housing, and health care - and we can afford to provide it if billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share.
For almost 20 years, I've worked on various campaigns. I started out as a phone volunteer. I'd go into campaign offices, ask for lists of Native American voters, and just start calling people because I felt that I just wanted to help more Native folks get to the polls.
Whenever the Republicans have an opportunity, they've tried to make New Mexico into a right-to-work state, and so I've been on the front lines fighting that for a long time.
In New Mexico, we're very lucky that we have laws in place that really help ensure that Native Americans' right to vote is unencumbered.
It would be nice if every state were like New Mexico and cared about the Indian vote.
We have a government-to-government relationship with tribes, and they should have that opportunity to weigh in on important decisions that affect them.
I know what it's like to have to put back food at the checkout line because you don't have enough money and those kinds of things.
I think it's important that we have different perspectives. We need more diversity in Congress.
I think it's important to always have diversity, in our Congress or anywhere, but you also need diversity not just for women of color who are most underrepresented, but diversity in different walks of life.
We - our children need a quality public education.
My dad was a 30-year career Marine. He was stationed in Quantico Va., and another military base.
The Violence Against Women Act didn't have specific provisions for Indian country until 2013, which is really sad. It's Native women who are the most vulnerable.
My mother was an extremely strong Pueblo woman. My grandmother was the same. I had strong women in my life. My aunties who were there for me every step of the way.
We're a matrilineal society, as Pueblo women, and there are a lot of tribes across the country who are.
Any type of anti-Semitism in any form needs to be soundly rejected.