Nanette Barragán

Nanette Diaz Barragán is an American attorney and politician who has represented California's 44th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Barragán was born in Harbor City and raised in the Los Angeles area by Mexican immigrant parents. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2000 and her Juris Doctor from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law in 2005. Her early career included an internship in the White House Office of Public Liaison during the Clinton administration and work with the NAACP on health policy and racial disparities. Before her election to Congress, Barragán served as a litigation attorney in private practice and was a member of the Hermosa Beach City Council from 2013 to 2015, where she also served as Mayor Pro Tem. During her time on the council, she became the first Latina ever elected to that body and was known for her advocacy against oil drilling in the Santa Monica Bay. In Congress, she serves on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the House Committee on Homeland Security. In 2023, she was elected as the Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, a leadership role in which she coordinates the caucus's policy agenda and recommends committee assignments.

Representative Barragán's stated policy positions generally align with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. She is a prominent advocate for environmental justice, co-sponsoring the Green New Deal and focusing on reducing pollution in port-adjacent communities. In healthcare, she supports the expansion of the Affordable Care Act and has voiced support for a single-payer Medicare for All system. On immigration, Barragán advocates for comprehensive reform, including a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and strong protections for DACA recipients. Her economic platform includes support for the Equal Rights Amendment, raising the federal minimum wage, and investing in green energy to create long-term jobs. Additionally, she supports stricter gun control measures, such as universal background checks and bans on certain semi-automatic firearms.