Lowering Costs for Arizona Families

Marlene is the candidate who will fight hardest for workers. For more than 20 years, Marlene exposed fraud and scams as a journalist, protecting consumers from corporate abuse. In Congress, she’ll keep powerful interests in check and fight to lower costs for Arizona families. Despite promises from Washington politicians to bring down prices, Arizona families are still paying too much for basic necessities, like groceries, housing, utilities, and child care.

Instead of helping to lower costs, House Republicans backed Trump’s tariffs and recklessly ran up the deficit to give billionaires a tax break – sending costs even higher, making homeownership unaffordable for millions, and adding a tax on everyday necessities. Marlene will fight to have Congress do its job and not just be a rubber stamp on Trump’s price-raising policies.

Arizona families deserve a tax break, not a tax hike and the wealthiest members of our society and big corporations must do their part to pay their fair share. In Congress, she will hold big corporations accountable for their greed and price gouging.

Jobs and the Economy

Today, two-thirds of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. That’s not acceptable in the greatest economy in the world. In Congress, Marlene will work across the aisle to create opportunities for future generations. That means investing in infrastructure, like roads, bridges, and transit, and working to create good-paying jobs here in Arizona so that everyone has a chance at the American Dream. It also means helping small businesses, which are the lifeblood of our economy.
Marlene’s commitment to working families is why she was the first candidate endorsed by labor – including organizations representing grocery store workers and fire fighters.

Additionally, blockchain technology can expand access to financial tools and build wealth in underserved communities, but outdated laws leave the U.S. and American consumers at risk. Congress must modernize financial regulations to foster responsible innovation, protect consumers, and keep jobs and investment at home. Without action, Americans will remain exposed to malicious and unregulated actors, and the U.S. risks falling behind global competitors investing in blockchain innovation. By setting clear “rules of the road” and ensuring fair taxation on crypto earnings without stifling growth, the U.S. can lead the next generation of internet innovation – rooted in transparency, accountability, and American values.

Abortion Rights

The decision to have an abortion should be made between a woman and her doctor — not controlled by politicians. When Roe v. Wade was overturned, women in Arizona, and in states across the country, immediately lost their fundamental right to safe and legal reproductive care. But the attacks didn’t stop there. Extremist Republicans have been leading an assault on access to contraceptives and even IVF. In Arizona, we even saw the reappearance of an archaic 1864 abortion ban as a result.

Marlene is a mother and a grandmother and the only woman in this race. No one will fight like her to restore and protect our freedom to our bodily autonomy in all fifty states. She will fight to codify Roe v. Wade into law and fund Planned Parenthood – so even though abortion is protected in Arizona, Republicans cannot pass backdoor bans and restrict access to reproductive health care. That’s why Marlene has been endorsed by pro-choice champions like EMILY’s List and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes.

Protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid

Marlene will fight to protect Social Security and restore Medicare and Medicaid after reckless GOP cuts. She knows these cuts don’t save money — they threaten hospitals, drive up premiums, and put at risk hardworking Arizonans’ ability to retire with dignity. In Congress, she’ll always stand with Arizonans over powerful interests and unlike House Republicans she’ll never cut Medicaid and food assistance so billionaires can get a tax break.

Immigration

Marlene’s parents fled communist Cuba in the 1960s and, like many immigrants, were among the hardest-working members of their community. She knows our immigration system is broken and believes America can have both secure borders and a system that lives up to our values.
In Congress, Marlene will fight for real solutions: securing the border, hiring more judges to fix our court system, and creating a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers. We need fearless leaders who will step up on this issue and be willing to work across the aisle to create a durable immigration solution.

Climate & Energy

Arizonans are feeling the impacts of climate change effects with skyrocketing utility bills, more droughts, and an increasing number of wildfires. We have to do more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect our air and water, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil while also creating jobs and growing our economy. House Republicans are an obstacle to the progress we need to make. They voted against lowering energy costs, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, protecting our access to clean water, and cementing Arizona’s status as a leader in the clean energy economy. Marlene will fight to invest more in clean energy that will help boost our economy and bring down costs, while mitigating the effects of climate change.

Education

Every child in Arizona deserves a quality education. Our kids succeed when educators have the tools and funding they need to teach and when our public schools are properly funded. We need to pay our teachers better — and stop asking them to also be social workers, school counselors, and police officers. House Republicans have a history of gutting our public education system. In Congress, Marlene will fight for more investments in our schools because we have to trust our teachers. She will fight back against House Republicans’ extreme cuts to fund education and push back against the Trump administration’s attempts to sow chaos by dismantling the Department of Education.

Educational opportunities shouldn’t stop after high school. All students should also be able to afford a higher education if they want to pursue one – whether that’s college, trade school, or otherwise. We must address the rising cost of universities, as well as invest in trade schools and community colleges. In Congress, Marlene will fight tirelessly to improve our education system in Arizona and ensure our state’s children have opportunities to succeed.

Gun Safety

Every American deserves to live safe from gun violence, including in schools, grocery stores, parades, or houses of worship. Gun violence doesn’t just affect the victim, it affects families, friends, and entire communities. Lives are forever shattered. Today, gun violence is the number one cause of death for kids in America. Kindergarteners should be learning their ABCs, not practicing active shooter drills. Marlene stands with the vast majority of Americans who support common sense gun safety laws, like background checks and red flag laws.

House Republicans have put politics over people when it comes to this issue. They vote against bipartisan gun safety legislation and cower to the NRA. Marlene will go to Congress to fight for common sense gun safety legislation.

Protecting our Democracy

The daughter of Cuban exiles, Marlene understands the urgency of this moment and the threat of authoritarianism we now face here at home. In Congress, she’ll be fearless in confronting Trump, protecting our elections, and defending the rights of every Arizonan. Everyone deserves equal safe access to the ballot box. The security of our election system is among the most important pillars of our democracy. There is an unprecedented assault on our democracy, with legislatures around the country passing laws that suppress the vote and some Republicans continuing to deny the insurrection at the United States Capitol on January 6. Make no mistake – House Republicans voted to disenfranchise Arizona voters in a presidential election because Donald Trump told them to.

She led a group of former journalists in 2022 calling for election-deniers like Kari Lake to stop their assault on facts and truth. And it’s why she was asked to serve as the campaign chair for Secretary of State Adrian Fontes’s campaign, and for Gov. Katie Hobbs’s transition team.

In Congress, Marlene will fight to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Marlene is committed to passing federal legislation to stop legislatures from suppressing the vote and she will fight to ensure that every American has free, equal, and safe access to the ballot box. Voters should choose their elected officials, not the other way around. In Congress, Marlene will be a champion for banning partisan gerrymandering.

LGBTQ+ Rights

Every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Ten years ago, the constitutional right to same-sex marriage was affirmed. Despite this progress, LGBTQ+ Americans still face discrimination due to inconsistent state laws and the absence of comprehensive protections at the federal level. While existing civil rights laws cover race, sex, disability, and religion, clear safeguards for sexual orientation and gender identity are not codified into law. Furthermore, nearly two-thirds of LGBTQ+ individuals report experiencing discrimination. We must ensure that the LGBTQ+ community no longer faces discrimination in any facet of everyday life, including education, employment, housing, and public spaces. That’s why Marlene supports passage of the Equality Act. In Congress, she will fight every day to protect these fundamental rights for every American.

Safer Communities

Our law enforcement officers and first responders put their lives on the line every single day, and we are grateful to them for their work. Marlene strongly opposes any calls to defund the police. Police officers should receive the necessary training and resources to do their jobs effectively and build trust with the communities they serve. We need to crack down on violent crime while addressing the root causes of crime. In Congress, Marlene will make sure our law enforcement officers have the resources they need to keep us safe, while also operating in a transparent and accountable manner. She also supports better, more targeted training that focuses on de-escalating dangerous situations.

Tribes

Marlene will stand up for Native Nations. Arizona is home to 22 tribes with two tribes in Arizona’s 1st district – the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community and the Ft. McDowell Yavapai Nation. Congress must recognize the sovereignty of the tribes and continue to build partnerships with our tribal communities. We also need to protect the water rights of Tribal nations and make sure we have the infrastructure in place so that our communities do not have their water stripped away. In Congress, Marlene will work to address housing costs, water access, expand rural broadband, and fight the GOP Medicaid cuts that threaten Arizona’s rural hospitals. She will work closely with tribal leadership and bring much-needed resources to our tribes in Arizona.

Water

Every Arizonan needs and deserves access to clean, safe water. The Colorado River, supplying 36% of Arizona’s water, has experienced decades of historically dry conditions that have caused Lake Mead’s levels to drop. However, Arizona has been resilient and implemented innovative water management strategies to secure dependable water supplies. The challenges to our water supply, however, aren’t just from climate change. Foreign interests and hedge funds are taking advantage of our precious water supply as Arizonans’ wells run dry. Marlene will work to make sure we protect our water supply. Marlene also supports plans to recycle water with an advanced purification facility. In Congress, Marlene will fight to ensure Arizona receives its fair share of the CAP and the resources we need to improve water infrastructure in our state.