Michelle4VA
Nov 29, 2023
Today, tech leader, entrepreneur, public servant, and mother Delegate Michelle Maldonado announced her campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives in Virginia’s 10th District. With the announcement, the Maldonado campaign also released a launch video highlighting her upbringing in an immigrant family, breadth of experience in the private and public sectors, and lifelong dedication to bringing people together to find solutions to today’s most pressing challenges.
“Growing up in an immigrant family of educators and military service members, I learned the importance of service above self. This foundation shaped my career as I’ve de-escalated conflict and confronted and navigated crises — from helping Flint, MI, heal in the wake of the water crisis and supporting community leaders in Minneapolis following the murder of George Floyd, to partnering with United Nations peacekeepers and humanitarian aid workers and supporting Congressional staffers’ recovery following the January 6th insurrection. I’m running for Congress because this moment calls for strong, steady leadership with the experience necessary to bring people together to truly deliver and get things done,” Michelle said Wednesday.
Michelle’s story of hardship and resilience is like that of many Americans who work hard to make ends meet. That humble upbringing drove her to work that much harder and earn a seat at the table as a corporate and tech attorney turned business leader committed to strengthening compassion, civility, and accountability across sectors. For two decades, Michelle worked in the technology, start-up, online media, nonprofit, and e-learning industries before starting her own company, Lucenscia, a leadership development and business strategy firm, in 2015.
Elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2021, Michelle is the first woman and first woman of color to represent her district and has earned a reputation as an effective, results-oriented voice. Leveraging her depth of experience from the business and technology sector, Michelle co-founded the bipartisan Virginia Technology & Innovation Caucus where she serves as Founding Chair and seeks to foster and promote technology and innovation, support legislation that creates jobs, enable the responsible use of technology to improve the lives of all Virginians, promote the technology and innovation climate in Virginia, and engage on emerging policy issues.
Now, Michelle is running for Congress to keep taking on the tough fights, solve problems, and create pathways to opportunity, so that everyone can live, work, and thrive in our communities.
“While Republicans in Congress embrace dysfunction and refuse to govern, families are yearning for action and solutions,” Michelle continued. “I’m running for Congress to leverage my problem-solving experience and technology expertise to continue building pathways to opportunity, so that Virginia families can succeed and our economy works for everyone.”
In what is shaping up to be a very crowded field, Michelle’s leadership skills set her apart from all the others. In times of crisis, she’s the one who gets the call: strengthening communication with law enforcement and the communities they serve; working with federal agencies to address our border crisis; and, counseling congressional staff after the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
With government dissatisfaction and dysfunction at an all-time high and fundamental threats to democracy and reproductive freedom on the line, our public servants must be tested, and ready to meet this moment. Michelle Maldonado has done the work, her experience and leadership skills set her apart from the rest of the field.
Currently represented by retiring Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton, Virginia’s 10th District is a Democratic-leaning seat located in Northern Virginia and includes all of Rappahannock County, Fauquier County, and Loudoun County, parts of Fairfax County and Prince William County, as well as the independent cities of Manassas and Manassas Park. Nearly 50% of the population is non-white — 18% Latino, 18% AAPI, and 11% Black. The district is home to Dulles Airport, a significant population of federal workers, and large technology, telecom, and aerospace companies. The 2024 Democratic primary field is expected to be crowded, and Michelle Maldonado has the profile, message, and drive to connect with primary voters and build a winning coalition.
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Michelle Maldonado is a candidate for U.S. Congress in Virginia’s CD10 and a current Virginia Delegate; she represents the 20th House District and resides in the 10th Congressional District. As a former tech attorney and business owner, Michelle focuses on identifying practical solutions to the issues facing the state and the country.
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