Yadira D. Caraveo (born December 23, 1980) is an American politician and pediatrician serving as the

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for

Colorado's 8th congressional district Colorado's 8th congressional district is a new district in the United States House of Representatives that was apportioned after the 2020 United States census. The first congressional seat to be added to Colorado's congressional districts, Color ...

since 2023. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, she is

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

's first

Latina Latina or Latinas most often refers to: * Latinas, a demographic group in the United States * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America. *Latin Americans Latina and Latinas may also refer ...

member of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

. Caraveo represented the 31st district in the Colorado House of Representatives from 2019 to 2023. The district covered parts of Adams and Weld counties.

Early life and education

Caraveo was born in Colorado to Mexican undocumented parents who arrived in the 1970s but were granted amnesty under the

Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA or the Simpson–Mazzoli Act) was passed by the 99th United States Congress and signed into law by U.S. President Ronald Reagan on November 6, 1986. The Immigration Reform and Control Act altered U.S ...

. She volunteered for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign while in medical school. She received her bachelor's degree from Regis University and later her Doctor of Medicine degree from the

University of Colorado School of Medicine The University of Colorado School of Medicine is the medical school of the University of Colorado system. It is located at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado, one of the four University of Colorado campuses, six miles east of downtow ...

. Caraveo completed a residency in pediatrics at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, where she was also involved with the

Committee of Interns and Residents The Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR) is the largest housestaff union in the United States, representing more than 24,000 interns, residents, and fellows in California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico ...

union for resident physicians.

Colorado House of Representatives

Along with being a state legislator for part of the year, Caraveo is also a pediatrician practicing in

Thornton, Colorado The City of Thornton is a home rule municipality located in Adams and Weld counties, Colorado, United States. The city population was 141,867, all in Adams County, at the 2020 United States Census, an increase of +19.44% since the 2010 United ...

. She has also served on the board of trustees for the Anythink Library system in Adams County since 2017. Yadira Caraveo

Election

Caraveo was elected in the general election on November 6, 2018, winning 55% of the vote 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 Rico Figueroa's 39%.

Tenure

Caraveo sponsored a bill giving free contraceptives and reproductive care to

illegal immigrants Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwa ...

citing studies showing the program lowers

maternal mortality Maternal death or maternal mortality is defined in slightly different ways by several different health organizations. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines maternal death as the death of a pregnant mother due to complications related to pre ...

and infant mortality rates. She sponsored a bill that would put an age requirement on some

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternative ...

products, require coroners to conduct a

THC Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis and one of at least 113 total cannabinoids identified on the plant. Although the chemical formula for THC (C21H30O2) describes multiple isomers, the term ''THC' ...

test for all "unnatural deaths", and put a cap on potency levels in products. The bill was controversial, Caraveo argued it would stop younger people from getting addicted to cannabis and opponents argued testing would be racially motivated. The bill was co-sponsored by

members of the legislature and disavowed by Democratic House Speaker

Alec Garnett Alec Garnett is an American politician and a former Democratic member of the Colorado House of Representatives and the former Speaker of the House. He represented District 2, which covered a portion of the city of Denver. He was first elected in ...

. She also sponsored or helped craft other bills aimed at improving healthcare, supporting medical workers, early education, and lowering prescription drug costs, among other measures.

Committees

During the 73rd general assembly, Caraveo served on the following committees: *Health & Insurance (Vice Chair) *Education

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2022

On August 24, 2021, Caraveo announced her candidacy for

. She was endorsed by former Colorado Speaker of the House KC Becker, State Senator Faith Winter, State Senator Jessie Danielson, and others. On April 5, 2022, Caraveo secured the Democratic nomination. On November 9, 2022, Caraveo defeated Republican nominee

Barbara Kirkmeyer Barbara Jean Kirkmeyer (born September 15, 1958) is an American politician serving as a member of the Colorado Senate for District 23, which encompasses parts of Weld and Larimer counties in north-central Colorado. She was the Republican nomine ...

in the general election, becoming Colorado's first Latina member of Congress.

Caucus memberships

New Democrat Coalition The New Democrat Coalition is a caucus in the House of Representatives of the United States Congress made up of Democrats, primarily centrists, who take a pro-business stance and a moderate-to-conservative approach to fiscal matters. As of ...

Committee assignments

* Committee on Science and Technology * Committee on Agriculture

Electoral history

References

External links

Yadira Caraveo for Congress
campaign website
Representative Yadira Caraveo
official legislative website * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Caraveo, Yadira 1980 births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American physicians 21st-century American women physicians 21st-century American women politicians American pediatricians American politicians of Mexican descent Democratic Party members of the Colorado House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Colorado Female members of the United States House of Representatives Hispanic and Latino American members of the United States Congress Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Colorado Hispanic and Latino American women in politics Hispanic and Latino American women physicians Living people People from Thornton, Colorado Regis University alumni University of Colorado School of Medicine alumni Women pediatricians Women state legislators in Colorado