Hala S. Ayala (born 1973) is an American politician who represented the 51st district in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

from 2018 to 2022. She was the Democratic nominee in the

2021 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election The 2021 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 2021, to elect the next lieutenant governor of Virginia. Incumbent Democratic Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax was eligible to run for a second term, but instead unsuc ...

, losing to

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

nominee

Winsome Sears Winsome Sears (née Earle; born March 11, 1964) is a Jamaican-born American politician serving as the 42nd lieutenant governor of Virginia. A member of the Republican Party, Sears served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2002 to 2004. She ...

on November 2, 2021.

Early life and education

Ayala is a native of

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

. Growing up, Ayala’s family struggled financially. She graduated from Woodbridge Senior High School, and has an associate’s degree in psychology from the

University of Phoenix University of Phoenix (UoPX) is a private for-profit university headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1976, the university confers certificates and degrees at the certificate, associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree lev ...

.Jill Palermo
Former Prince William NOW president launches bid for state delegate
''Fauquier Times'' (April 4, 2017). Ayala's father was an immigrant from El Salvador, and also has North African roots. Ayala's mother was

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

and Lebanese. When Ayala was pregnant, her job did not offer any health insurance but she qualified for

Medicaid Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with healthcare costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and pers ...

, which provided healthcare for her and her son.

Career

Ayala formerly worked for the

United States Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the Federal government of the United States, U.S. United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the I ...

as a cybersecurity specialist. She also formerly led the Prince William County chapter of the

National Organization for Women The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It ...

,Alex Koma
Ayala wins 51st District seat, defeating 4-term incumbent
''Inside NoVa'' (November 8, 2017). serving as chapter president in 2014. She also served on the Virginia Council on Women as an appointee of

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Terry McAuliffe Terence Richard McAuliffe (born February 9, 1957) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 72nd governor of Virginia from 2014 to 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, he was co-chairman of President Bill Clinton's 1996 ...

for a term expiring on June 30, 2016. Ayala cites the documentary ''

Miss Representation ''Miss Representation'' is a 2011 American documentary film written, directed, and produced by Jennifer Siebel Newsom. The film explores how mainstream media contributes to the under-representation of women in influential positions by circulating ...

'' as inspiration for her to become involved in politics, and was a volunteer for Barack Obama's reelection campaign in 2012. In 2017, Ayala was an organizer of the

Women's March Women's March may refer to: * Women's March on Versailles, a 1789 march in Paris * Women's Sunday, a 1908 suffragette march in London * Woman Suffrage Procession, a 1913 march and rally in Washington, D.C. * Women's March (South Africa), a 1956 mar ...

against

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

. Ayala ran for the

in the 2017 elections for the 51st district, which covers much of Prince William County. The district specifically stretches "from just northwest of Occoquan, in eastern Prince William, to Nokesville on the county's western border." District 51 was a key pickup target for Virginia Democrats because it was one of 17 House of Delegates districts that voted for

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

in the preceding year's

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

, but was held by a Republican state house delegate. In June 2017, Ayala won the Democratic nomination for the 51st district of the

, defeating Ken Boddye in the

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

. In the general election, Ayala defeated four-term

incumbent Richard L. Anderson. Ayala and Elizabeth Guzman became the first Hispanic women elected to the House. The victories were part of a Democratic sweep in the 2017 Virginia elections, which saw major gains for the party. In July 2020, Ayala announced her candidacy for

Lieutenant Governor of Virginia The lieutenant governor of Virginia is a constitutional officer of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The lieutenant governor is elected every four years along with the governor and attorney general. The office is currently held by Winsome Earle S ...

in the 2021 election. In December 2020, she announced she would not seek reelection to her House of Delegates seat. In June 2021, Ayala became the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. She lost the November election to

Legislative initiatives

Drawing on her 18 years as an information security specialist for the

U.S. Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mul ...

, Ayala has made

information Information is an abstract concept that refers to that which has the power to inform. At the most fundamental level information pertains to the interpretation of that which may be sensed. Any natural process that is not completely random ...

and

cyber Cyber may refer to: Computing and the Internet * ''Cyber-'', from cybernetics, a transdisciplinary approach for exploring regulatory and purposive systems Crime and security * Cyber crime, crime that involves computers and networks ** Conventi ...

security one focus of her efforts. Her bill requiring tax preparers to report security breaches became law. Ayala has also introduced bills for creating a state interagency cybersecurity task force, training state employees, increasing security of network-connected devices, and requiring digital services to remove information about minors upon request.

Committee assignments

Ayala served as a member of the Science and Technology Committee and the Finance Committee.Virginia General Assembly members
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Personal life

Ayala lives in

Lake Ridge, Virginia Lake Ridge is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince William County, Virginia, Prince William County, Virginia, United States. It is an annex of Woodbridge, Virginia. The population was 41,058 at the 2010 census, an increase of 35% from 2000. H ...

. She has two children.

Electoral history

References

External links

Campaign website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ayala, Hala 1973 births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians American people of Irish descent American politicians of Lebanese descent American politicians of Salvadoran descent Candidates in the 2021 United States elections 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 People from Alexandria, Virginia People from Prince William County, Virginia United States Department of Homeland Security officials University of Phoenix alumni Women state legislators in Virginia