We here at PoderPAC hope you had a joyful holiday celebration in 2011.  While 2011 brought many blessings, sadly it was a difficult year for many.  Now more then ever, we need leadership that reflects accurately the experiences of our community.  We are urging all of our PoderPAC members to consider making a donation in this quarter so that we can support new Latina candidates who have decided to make a difference in their community by running for elected office. 

We will be rolling out a number of new initiatives in the coming months.  Please keep your eyes open and share information with your networks about the work of PODERPAC.

 PODER PAC ENDORSES MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM IN DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY FOR NEW MEXICO CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 1

WASHINGTON DC – PODER PAC, a political action committee founded by and for Latinas
to help more Latinas get elected to positions at the local, state and federal level, is proud to endorse Michelle Lujan Grisham in her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Congress in New Mexico District 1.

“We are thrilled to be able to support Michelle in this race,” said Ingrid Duran, Chair of the board. “Michelle’s entire career has been one of advocacy for those who cannot fight for themselves: senior citizens, the disabled, children and those without health insurance. This work has further strengthened our conviction that we need more people like Michelle in Congress to improve the lives of everyday people,” added Duran.

PODER PAC is proud to support Lujan Grisham, a Latina who has spent her entire career bringing accountability and transparency to government. She currently sits on the Board of
County Commissioners for Bernalillo County.

Maria Cardona, PODER PAC board member and leading Democratic Strategist, added, “It is in these tough times that we need a candidate like Michelle, whose proven track record on
improving the quality of life for individuals and their families speaks for itself and demonstrated leadership will make all the difference in Washington.”

“I truly value this endorsement. Endorsements from Latina/o groups like PODER motivate me to continue to be a role model for other Latinas in New Mexico interested in public service,” said Lujan Grisham.

“My late father, Llewellyn "Buddy" Lujan taught me to respect my Latina heritage and to honor the contributions each person makes to our society. My dad's contribution was running a dental practice for 58 years and providing free dental care for the poor across New Mexico. My grandfather, David Eugene Lujan proudly served as New Mexico's first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice. The values they instilled in me have guided me throughout my career and my life,” added Lujan Grisham.

PODER PAC was created in order to empower Latinas who want to run for office and make a difference in their communities.

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You are preparing for the holiday's, the end of the year, and beginning of the new one.  Please join us as we prepare to build funding for Latina candidates in 2012.  The network of Latinas and other interested supporters grows each year, but so does the number of Latinas who express an interest in running for office.  In addition to supporting Latina candidates, we are looking to expand the tools available to assist candidates and those key campaign volunteers and campaign staff members help achieve victory.  Please share suggestions and ideas as well as articles and resources that you believe will help us assist candidates in celebrating on election day. 

By Maria Cardona and Alicia Menendez - 
10/21/10 02:54 PM ET

This year, Latino voters like many voters, are angry and anxious.  But they aren’t stupid.  As has been reported widely, a conservative third-party group called “Latinos for Reform,” recently released an ad in which the narrator says: "Don't vote this November. This is the only way to send [Democrats] a clear message. You can no longer take us for granted." That’s right - now that the sleeping giant has awoken, a shady third party group is telling it to take a nap.  Some Latino pundits and supposed advocates for the community have echoed similar, misguided sentiments.  Galina Espinoza, the co-president and editorial director of Latina Media Ventures, in a recent piece writes, “most of us are planning to stay home this November—a decision that could lead to a shift of power in Washington.”  It’s a silly meme to spread.  Latinos know that staying home doesn't shift power; it concedes power.In this election, Latino voters will turn out to the polls in support of everything that has made America great: a return to hard work, responsibility and common sense solutions, not fringe ideologies that call for the end of protections for hard working families when they need them most, and for building a Berlin Wall as a response to our immigration challenge.   Fringe group leaders know this.  That’s why they’re spending money across the country encouraging Latino voters to sit this election out.  “Latinos for Reform” cannot convince Latinos to vote for extremists like Nevada Senate Candidate Sharron Angle, who have actively scape-goated Latinos for their own political benefit.  Instead, they will do the next best thing: encourage them to stay home and cast a defacto vote for a candidate that stands in direct opposition to their community and their values.Fringe groups believe that they can capitalize on our growing frustration with Washington’s inability to fix our broken immigration system.  They are right about one thing: many in our communities are disappointed that Comprehensive Immigration Reform has not received the dedicated legislative effort we believe it deserves.  But those to whom this issue is most dear know better than anyone that it is critical that we harness that frustration and use it to mobilize our community to the polls. By staying home, what message would we be sending to every Senator who withheld his or her support for Dream Act legislation that would have helped young and motivated undocumented students become citizens? We're telling those who refused to do what is best for America that they can continue to get away with flat out rejecting common sense solutions because Latinos would rather penalize our allies for not moving fast enough.And while immigration is certainly a unique issue for our community, it is not our only issue.  However imperfect, America finally has a do-something Congress.  They passed the biggest tax cut for middle class families in two generations. They passed legislation that will make 150,000 additional Pell Grants available to Latinos students.  They passed Race to the Top which is already challenging underperforming public schools with large number of Latino students to raise their game. They approved an initiative that has already put $1 Billion toward Latino small businesses. They passed Wall Street reform and Credit Card reform so Latinos cannot be taken advantage of by financial institutions.  Moreover, Latinos stand to benefit disproportionately from the recent health insurance reform law: it gives 9 million previously uninsured Latinos health care coverage, it gives millions of Latino parents the piece of mind that their child cannot be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition, and it gives millions of Latino seniors the security of knowing they will not have to choose between paying the rent or buying their prescription drugs.With all of this in mind, allow us to offer a counter-narrative to Latinos and non-Latinos alike: get out there and vote. Encourage your friends, family, co-workers and everyone who shares your belief in the democratic process to do the same. We must be the architects of our own political, economic and social futures.  That very freedom and the powerful opportunities that come with it, is what inspired each of our family’s journeys to this great country.  Decide who has more often than not been at your side on issues from college access and affordability to small business lending, and yes, immigration. And know who has betrayed you and walked away from the real solutions we need and deserve.  Let’s show those who stand with us that while change may be slow, we will not leave their side until this fight is done.  Then let’s show our opponents and their fringe, sideline cheerleaders the door.  

Maria Cardona is a principal at The Dewey Square, co-founder of Latinovations, and former senior advisor to the Hillary Clinton for President Campaign.  Alicia Menendez is a senior advisor at NDN.  Both are frequent commentators on cable TV news shows and both plan on voting this election.  

PODER PAC Congratulates Secretary Hilda Solis. She was appointed Secretary of Labor February 24, 2009.

Secretary Solis served the 32nd Congressional district of California with distinction since 2001.

She has been a tireless advocate for women and PODER PAC is honored to call her a friend.

Secretary Solis is an incredible role model and we are proud of her accomplishments.

PODER PAC remembers CA State Senator Nell Soto. Senator Soto was a pioneer as one of the first Latinos to serve in the State legislature in the 1960's. She was a trail blazer for so many Latinas who followed in her footsteps. We will miss her.

May 26, 2009- Washington DC – PODER PAC congratulates President Obama on the historic, bold and inspired choice to nominate Judge Sonia Sotomayor as the next Supreme Court Justice. Sotomayor if confirmed will be the first Hispanic Supreme Court judge and the third woman to sit on the nation’s highest court.

“Today is a great day for Americans and I commend President Obama for showing leadership and brilliance with his choice to nominate Judge Sotomayor,” said PODER PAC Honorary Co-Chair Nydia Velázquez (D-NY).  “Ms. Sotomayor will bring the highest qualifications to the highest court in the land as well as a background and a common sense approach that will give the Supreme Court much needed insight into how opinions and decisions will affect Americans from all walks of life.  The fact that she is the first Latina and the third woman to serve on the high court also earns President Obama much deserved praise for smashing one of highest and hardest barriers left for Latinos and women in American politics.” 

A graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School, a former prosecutor and private attorney, Sotomayor’s legal training is unmatched, bringing more experience to the Supreme Court than any justice confirmed in the past 70 years. 

Sotomayor also enjoys bipartisan support, having been appointed by President George H.W. Bush in 1992 and then named an appeals court judge by President Bill Clinton in 1997. 

“Sotomayor’s bipartisanship earns her support, credibility and praise from both sides of the political aisle,” added Honorary Co-Chair Velazquez.  “We strongly urge the US Senate to engage in a timely confirmation process that will enable the Supreme Court a smooth transition after Judge Souter’s retirement.”

Washington DC - PODER PAC today officially announced its endorsement of a Latina to be named as the next Supreme Court Justice and strongly urged President Obama to choose from one of the many talented and highly qualified Latina candidates to fill this most important position.

"President Obama made history this past November when he was elected the first African American President of the United States. He was not elected because of the color of his skin but because Americans thought him the best qualified choice to lead our country during these difficult times. PODER PAC believes President Obama has a chance to make history yet again in nominating the first Latina as his choice to be the next Supreme Court justice, and to do it not because it is the right thing or the right time - even though it is both - but to do it simply because a Latina would hold the best qualifications at this moment to carry out the awesome responsibilities that come with serving on the highest court in the land. 

"At no other point in history has the nomination of a Latina to be the next Supreme Court Justice been more timely. There are several Latinas that have the education, the experience, and the impeccable qualifications that are no doubt needed for this incomparable charge. 

"The nomination of a Latina to the high court would also ensure that diversity, one of our nation's fundamental pillars of strength, is finally and fully expressed in a place where variety of opinion stemming from a different upbringing, a different perpective and a different, perhaps personal, view of how "the system" affects real people, has been sorely missing. There is no doubt that a qualified Latina would bring a unique and needed perspective that includes a clear understanding of the struggles that many diverse communities and women have endured in this country. Upholding this perspective and using it to understand how decisions will impact Americans will undoubtedly benefit all of American society.

"PODER PAC strongly urges President Obama to take this courageous step and nominate a Latina to serve as the next Supreme Court Justice." 

In recognition of our one year anniversary Senator Bob Menendez renewed his support to PODER PAC. 

"I am happy to renew my commitment of $5,000 to PODER PAC. Supporting this effort is critical to the success of Latinas pursuing public service around the country. We must all come together to help create a strong pool of Latina candidates who will serve as elected officials and great examples for future Latina leaders of our country."

--Senator Robert Menendez

Find out more about PODER PAC. A new PAC, by Latinas for Latinas, makes political dreams come true.

Written by Rolando Rodriguez

On June 7, 2008, Ingrid Duran and Catherine Pino, like many women across America, were glued to a television set as then-U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton gave a historic speech supporting her opponent, Barack Obama, in a thrilling and unforgettable primary election. And like most women, they weren’t focused on a “failed candidacy.” Rather, the two watched a woman who had profoundly altered and enhanced the role of women in American political life. 

Duran and Pino, two of the most influential advocates for Hispanic and LGBT issues in Washington, D.C., decided that the journey for women vying for the highest levels of office shouldn’t stop with Clinton’s speech. And it didn’t. Clinton’s remarks would spark a lobbying effort of a different sort for the co-founders of D&P Creative Strategies. And it would reach deep into the Hollywood Hills, not just Capitol Hill. 

Duran and Pino would form a political action committee (PAC), which, in plain terms, is a way for individuals, interest groups, unions, or corporations to contribute dollars to candidates running for public office. In other words, it can mean big money for someone running for a school board, mayoral, congressional or presidential seat. PACs are old as time, but one never existed to support Latina candidates. “They were never considered viable by mainstream organizations,” says Duran. 

But defying naysayers has never been a problem for activists, and that wouldn’t change with Duran and Pino. They created the PODER PAC, and for the first time, Latinas running for office would have a fundraising vehicle exclusively dedicated to them. 

“We watched as people rose through the ranks of elected office,” says Duran. “The numbers of Latino elected officials increased but the number of Latinas in Congress remained small, and the challenges for those who did make a run for Congress was daunting.”

According to Duran, less than 1.5 percent of the total number of Members of Congress is Latina. But to pull a PAC together to accelerate that number would be no easy task. It would take a union of Duran, Pino, current political heavyweights, and Hollywood movers and shakers to launch a sustainable PAC. “We called a meeting of the Latina Democratic Members of Congress at a restaurant on Capitol Hill and told them our plan and asked each of them to max out their contribution to the PAC at $5,000,” says Pino. “We also reached out to some of our Latina celebrity friends to lend their names and support this effort. We knew we needed to come out of the gate in a big way.” 

The PAC was launched with 400 of the nation’s most influential political leaders at the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August 2008, a fitting stage considering the obvious. “It was exhilarating,” Duran exclaims. 

But this isn’t the first time either Duran or Pino have been trailblazers. Duran, the former president of Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) and Washington, D.C. director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, was the first gay Latina to serve on the Human Rights Campaign board of directors. The HRC is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality.

Pino, who served as the Deputy Director for Urban School Reform for the Carnegie Corporation of New York and is a current board member for CHCI, was the first Latina to co-chair and become a board member of the Hetrick-Martin Institute in New York City. She also sits on the Victory Fund board, which provides financial and campaign support to gay and lesbian political candidates.

If you’re thinking power couple, you’re right on. Duran and Pino are partners in real life, making their countless board appointments and prestigious career tracks even harder to ignore when they set their collective minds to something, like transforming the face of Capitol Hill through PODER PAC, or lobbying on Capitol Hill for major corporations like Wal-Mart through D&P Creative Strategies. “One of the reasons we decided to start our business was to empower communities that we care about most, like Latinos, the LGBT community and women,” says Duran. 

“Our work has enabled us to help steer millions of dollars to organizations and to support candidates that we consider viable, so creating PODER PAC was a natural extension of the work we are doing through D&P,” added Pino. 

PODER PAC is a focused fundraising entity with clear lines on whom it will support and who it won’t. For instance, if you’re Republican who advocates for pro-life legislation, hold your horses, or rather your elephants. 

“We were very clear when we created the PAC that it will support Democratic, pro-choice Latinas with a demonstrated commitment to the Latino community and a viable campaign organization,” says Duran. “In the end, we decided that it is really too difficult to be a bi-partisan PAC, so we decided not to fool ourselves and think we could be all things to all people.”