Democracy for America Endorses David Garcia for Governor and January Contreras for Attorney General

Today, Democracy for America (DFA) endorsed David Garcia and January Contreras in their respective bids for Governor and Attorney General of Arizona. Democracy for America is a million-member national progressive organization whose members contributed more than $1.8 million to Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign. The organization has 37,728 members in Arizona. Yesterday, DFA backed Congressman Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), the organization’s first incumbent House endorsement of the cycle.

Democracy for America Chair Jim Dean on the endorsements:

“With Arizona acting as “ground zero” in the battle against Donald Trump’s hateful agenda, it is more important than ever before that the state has strong progressive leaders who will protect all of Arizona’s residents. Instead, Arizona currently has a Governor and Attorney General who have embraced Trump’s destructive policies, from dismantling public education to backing the Muslim ban.”

“Arizonans deserve a Governor who cares about creating a better future for all of them, not one who is set on selling the state out to the Koch brothers. David Garcia has spent his life dedicated to public education, and his bold vision for tuition-free public college will improve opportunities for generations of Arizonans. That is the kind of progressive change our members are excited to work for, and Garcia will have our full support in his campaign.”

“January Contreras has a track record of fighting for the Arizonans who need it most, making her the perfect champion to stand up to the legal nightmare that is Trump’s Justice Department under Jeff Sessions. Our members will have her back in this campaign, so she can protect the residents of Arizona who most need protection from the Trump administration’s bullying tactics.” -- Jim Dean, Chair of Democracy for America.

David Garcia was born in Arizona and educated entirely in its public schools. After serving in the U.S. Army infantry, he went on to have a high-profile career as an advocate for public education, holding positions such as Associate Superintendent of Public Instruction for Standards and Accountability, and Director of Research and Policy for the Arizona Department of Education. He is currently a professor at ASU.

January Contreras founded the non-profit legal center Arizona Legal Women and Youth Services (ALWAYS) in 2013 to help survivors of sex and labor trafficking, vulnerable children and people in abusive relationships. Prior to that, she worked as an assistant attorney general and as the assistant director of the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System.

Democracy for America is a member-driven, people-powered progressive PAC committed to taking on income inequality, money in politics, and structural racism. Since its 2004 founding, DFA members have raised and contributed more than $40 million and made more than 11.1 million volunteer calls to help successfully elect 917 progressive candidates nationwide.