Elizabeth Rosalina Guzmán is a

Peruvian-American Peruvian Americans are Americans of Peruvian descent. According to the U.S. Census Bureau 2021 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, , 720,626 U.S. residents identify themselves as being of Peruvian origin. Approximately 62% of Peruvian ...

politician and

social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...

elected to represent Virginia's 31st House of Delegates district in Virginia's House of Delegates. She serves on the House committees on Privileges and Elections and Cities, Counties, and Towns. Guzman was a Democratic candidate for Virginia

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

in 2021. She was an unsuccessful candidate to represent Virginia's 29th Senate district, failing to unseat incumbent Jeremy McPike. Guzman also works as a Court Appointed Service Advocate for CASA CIS to prevent

child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to ...

. Guzman was Virginia co-chair of the

Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign The 2020 presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders was an election campaign from the junior United States senator and former representative from Vermont. It began with Sanders's formal announcement on February 19, 2019. The announcement follow ...

. In June 2020, Guzman was elected at the

Democratic Party of Virginia The Democratic Party of Virginia (DPVA/VA Dems) is the Virginia affiliate of the Democratic Party based in Richmond, Virginia. Historically, the Democratic Party has dominated Virginia politics. Since the 1851 Virginia gubernatorial election, the ...

State Convention to represent the Commonwealth of Virginia to the DNC.

Early life

Born in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, Guzman immigrated to the United States and became a

. After settling in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

, Guzman worked three jobs to afford a one-bedroom apartment for herself and her daughter.

Career

In 2017, Guzman ran for state Delegate and unseated eight-term incumbent Republican Delegate Scott Lingamfelter. Guzman and

Hala Ayala Hala S. Ayala (born 1973) is an American politician who represented the 51st district in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2018 to 2022. She was the Democratic nominee in the 2021 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election, losing to Republ ...

became the first Hispanic women elected to the House, both in Virginia's November 2017 election. Their terms began in January 2018. Guzman delivered the Spanish language response to the 2018 State of the Union Address, invited by

Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia Pelosi (; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who has served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2019 and previously from 2007 to 2011. She has represented in the United States House of ...

. In August 2019,

Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren (née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the senior United States senator from Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party and regarded as a p ...

endorsed Guzman. The Virginia Education Association Fund for Children and Public Education has also endorsed her based on her record of voting for legislation supporting public education. Guzman is a progressive, and has criticized the Virginia

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

for its traditionally

centrist Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to th ...

ideology.

2021 lieutenant governor campaign

Guzman announced her candidacy for Lieutenant Governor in October 2020. Guzman came in 3rd place in the first straw poll of the cycle at a Hunter Mill District Democratic Committee meeting, behind 1st place Sam Rasoul and 2nd place Sean Perryman. On April 17, Guzman withdrew from the Lieutenant Governor's race to focus on her reelection campaign for Delegate.

2023 Virginia Senate Campaign

In December of 2022, Guzman announced her intentions to challenge incumbent senator Jeremy McPike. She earned 49.76% of the vote, but conceded rather than go to a recount.

Political positions

Guzman introduced a bill in the House of Delegates that would expand the state’s definition of

to include parents who do not affirm their child’s

gender identity Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent, and consistent with the ...

sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generally ...

Electoral history

Awards

In May 2019, Guzman was given “The First” award from Latino Victory Fund. The

Library of Virginia The Library of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, is the library agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It serves as the archival agency and the reference library for Virginia's seat of government. The Library moved into a new building in 1997 and i ...

selected her as one of the changemakers in its "New Virginians" program.

References

External links

Campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guzman, Elizabeth 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Capella University alumni American social democrats American politicians of Peruvian descent Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Virginia Hispanic and Latino American women in politics Living people Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates Politicians from Lima Peruvian emigrants to the United States People from Dale City, Virginia Women state legislators in Virginia Year of birth missing (living people)