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Daniel Hernández Jr.

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Daniel Hernández
Member of the Arizona House of Representatives
from the 2nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 9, 2017
Serving with Andrea Dalessandro
Preceded byJ. Christopher Ackerley
Personal details
Born (1990-01-25) January 25, 1990 (age 34)
Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
RelativesAlma Hernandez (sister)
EducationUniversity of Arizona (BA, MLS)
WebsiteCampaign website

Daniel Hernández Jr. (born January 25, 1990) is an American politician serving as a member of the Arizona House of Representatives.[1] A member of the Arizona Democratic Party, he serves alongside Rosanna Gabaldón in Legislative District 2.[1] Hernández interned for U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords and was present when she was shot during a 2011 constituent meeting. He has been credited with helping to save Giffords's life after the incident.[2]

Early life and education

Hernandez was born in 1990 to Daniel Hernandez Sr. and Consuelo Quiñones Hernandez, a working-class family in Tucson, Arizona.[3] He has two younger sisters, Consuelo and fellow state representative, Alma Hernandez.[4]

In 2008, Hernandez volunteered for the Hillary Clinton 2008 presidential campaign and Gabby Giffords' re-election campaign.[5] He graduated from Sunnyside High School in 2008.[6] Hernandez earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and a Master of Legal Studies from the University of Arizona.[7]

Career

In 2011, while a student at the University of Arizona, Hernandez worked as an intern in the office of Gabby Giffords. During the first week of his internship, Hernandez helped organize a "Congress on your Corner" event, which was the site of the 2011 Tucson shooting. After Giffords was shot in the head, Hernandez held her up and stanched the bleeding with his hand until employees from the nearby grocery store brought him clean smocks.[5] In doing so, he is credited with saving the congresswoman's life.[2] Later that year, he was elected to the board of the Sunnyside Unified School District.[8][9]

Arizona Legislature

In 2016, Hernandez ran for the Arizona House of Representatives. He defeated Republican incumbent J. Christopher Ackerley in the general election alongside Democratic incumbent Rosanna Gabaldón. Together, Hernandez and Gabaldon won the two seats of the Arizona House's 2nd District, with Hernandez receiving 32,651 votes. Hernandez and Gabaldon had previously defeated Aaron Baumann in the Democratic primary.[10]

He is one of three openly gay members of the Arizona State Legislature, alongside Cesar Chavez and Robert Meza[11] and is a co-founder of the LGBTQ Caucus in Arizona.[8][12]

Hernandez endorsed a 2016 ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana in Arizona.[13]

On May 20, 2021, Hernandez announced he would run for the U.S. House of Representatives in Arizona's 2nd congressional district in the 2022 election.[14][15]

Political positions

Climate and environment

The Arizona Sierra Club gave Hernández's voting record an A rating from 2017-2019 and a B rating from 2020-2021.[16][17][18][19][20]

Israel-United States relations

Hernández is strongly supportive of Israel and has described himself as a "pro-Israel activist."[21]

Personal life

Hernandez's maternal grandfather was a Mexican Jew. His family are members of a synagogue.[22] Hernandez is openly gay.[23]

References

  1. ^ a b "A day of drama: Here is a rundown of who won, who lost in Tuesday’s election". Arizona Capitol Times, November 9, 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Intern's memoir recalls Giffords shooting". CNN. February 6, 2018.
  3. ^ "Note to Self: Daniel Hernandez Jr". CBS News. February 5, 2013.
  4. ^ "Daniel Hernandez Jr. calm and mature since he was a child". Tucson.com. January 20, 2011.
  5. ^ a b Steinmetz, Katy (January 13, 2011). "Daniel Hernandez: The Intern Who Helped Rescue Giffords". Time.
  6. ^ "Sunnyside alum Daniel Hernandez, Jr. to be honored by district". Tucson KOLD. February 22, 2011.
  7. ^ "Daniel Hernandez, Jr.'s Biography". Vote Smart. Archived from the original on June 5, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Meet the Candidates: Arizona's Daniel Hernandez". The Advocate, November 2, 2016.
  9. ^ "Election Summary Report: 111108pimaconsolidated". Pima County. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  10. ^ "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2016 General Election November 8, 2016" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  11. ^ "After Phoenix Pride, LGBT political representation is a yearlong issue". The State Press, April 15, 2018.
  12. ^ "In Arizona, Advocating For The LGBTQ Community Starts In Local Politics". NPR.org. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  13. ^ "101GrowLights Acquires the Daily Chronic".
  14. ^ Staff, KOLD News 13. "Former Giffords intern Daniel Hernandez announces Congressional bid". AZFamily. Retrieved May 21, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ Hansen, Ronald J. "Daniel Hernandez enters growing Democratic field for Tucson-area congressional seat". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  16. ^ "2017 Environmental Report Card Arizona Legislature and Governor". Sierra Club. May 30, 2017. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  17. ^ "2018 Environmental Report Card Arizona Legislature and Governor". Sierra Club. May 16, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  18. ^ "Sierra Club Releases 2019 Environmental Report Card". Sierra Club. June 27, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  19. ^ "Sierra Club Releases 2020 Environmental Report Card Actions by the 2020 Arizona Legislature and Governor Ducey Doing more harm than good". Sierra Club. July 15, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  20. ^ "Sierra Club Releases "2021 Environmental Report Card" -- Bad Session for Democracy, Water, Climate, and more..." Sierra Club. July 20, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  21. ^ July 20, Matthew Kassel; 2021 (July 20, 2021). "Daniel Hernandez wants to be the next pro-Israel progressive in Congress". Jewish Insider. Retrieved June 28, 2022. {{cite web}}: |last2= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ Oltuski, Romy. "Meet the Mexican-American Jewish Millennial Running for Office in Arizona". InStyle. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  23. ^ "Steller column: 3 Hernandez siblings could reshape Tucson politics".
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