Latina Civic PAC, the non-partisan political action committee whose specific mission is to increase the number of Latinas in elected office, released recommendations of highly qualified Latina Women Leaders who should be considered to replace Senator Menendez.

In a statement the Latina Civic PAC said “There are many able and qualified Latinas who we urge to be considered by New Jersey’s Democratic Leadership, including: Hon. Esther Salas, United States District Judge for District of New Jersey, M. Teresa Ruiz, New Jersey State Senator, Majority Leader Latino Legislative Caucus Chair, Nellie Pou, New Jersey State Senator, Majority Caucus Chair, Nilsa Cruz-Perez, New Jersey State Senator and Dr. Patricia Campos-Medina, national labor and policy leader.

The group cited a report on the demographics of New Jersey’s elected officials from the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University, a nationally recognized organization providing scholarly research and current data about women’s political participation in the United States. The report found, among other things, ‘Latino women and men in New Jersey face the greatest disparities between representation in government and representation in the population.’

Latina Civic PAC said it is incumbent upon us as Latina leaders to make sure both Democrats and Republicans do not continue to add to that disparity.

Latina Civic PAC is committed to helping Latinas engage in the political process and helping them run for public office while raising early money so they can become viable contenders. Latina Civic PAC is a non-partisan political action committee whose specific mission is to increase the number of Latinas in elected office in the State of New Jersey and to advocate for issues that impact Latinas in New Jersey. All contributions to Latina Civic PAC are not tax deductible.