Civil rights icon Dolores Huerta throws her endorsement into a hot Central WA race
Washington’s 14th Legislative District race is grabbing some national attention.
With fewer than 10 days to the election, Democratic Senate candidate Maria Beltran has been endorsed by civil rights icon Dolores Huerta.
Huerta, 94, co-founded what’s now known as the United Farm Workers union with labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez in 1962.
“Maria is a dedicated member of our community, and she has demonstrated her commitment to fighting for all working people,” Huerta said in a statement.
”She will fight for better jobs with better pay and securing the funding our schools need.”
Huerta coined the phrase, ¡Si se puede! (Spanish for Yes, it can be done), a rallying cry for the farmworkers movement.
Beltran, 31, the daughter of Mexican farmworkers, is the first Democratic opponent to go up against incumbent Republican Senator Curtis King, who has represented Central Washington in the Legislature for 17 years.
“As a kid, I remember reading books about Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta,” Beltran told the Herald. “I felt inspired by them, their leadership, how they organized their communities and fought for farmworkers. I’m so excited and so honored to have her support.”
The New Direction PAC contacted Huerta to seek out the endorsement.
PAC officials told the Herald that after Huerta learned about the historic nature of the 14th District race in Washington, she “enthusiastically” endorsed Beltran.
Beltran, a former deputy director with the House Democratic Campaign Committee, grew up in Yakima and graduated from Gonzaga University.
The 14th District was the subject of a contentious redistricting process that was redrawn several times to make it fairer for Latino voters in the Yakima Valley up to the Tri-Cities.
King had to move to a new home in order to run again for the seat.
Combined, he and Beltran have raised about $1.1 million in campaign contributions in what’s become one of the closest-watched races for the Legislature this year.
This story was originally published October 28, 2024 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Civil rights icon Dolores Huerta throws her endorsement into a hot Central WA race."
