Raquel Terán
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Raquel Terán (born November 30, 1977) is an American politician who previously served as a member of the
Arizona Senate The Arizona State Senate is part of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the US state of Arizona. The Senate consists of 30 members each representing an average of 219,859 constituents (2009 figure ...
from the 26th district. She previously served in the
Arizona House of Representatives The Arizona House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. The upper house is the Arizona Senate, Senate. The House convenes in the le ...
and as chair of the
Arizona Democratic Party The Arizona Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Arizona. Its headquarters are in Phoenix. Along with its main rival, the Arizona Republican Party, it is one of two major parties in the state. The Arizon ...
.


Early life

Terán was born in
Douglas, Arizona Douglas is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, that lies in the north-west to south-east running Sulphur Springs Valley. Douglas has a Douglas, Arizona Port of Entry, border crossing with Mexico at Agua Prieta and a history of min ...
. Her citizenship was challenged in court by an anti-immigration advocate in 2012, and again after her 2018 election. The lawsuits were both dismissed.


Career

Prior to being elected to the state legislature, Terán was a
community organizer Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other or share some common problem come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. Unlike those who promote more-consensual community buil ...
who was active in opposing
Arizona SB 1070 The Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act (introduced as Arizona Senate Bill 1070 and commonly referred to as Arizona SB 1070) is a 2010 legislative act in the U.S. state of Arizona that was the broadest and strictest ant ...
that she believed had an "
anti-immigrant sentiment Opposition to immigration, also known as anti-immigration, is a political position that seeks to restrict immigration. In the modern sense, immigration refers to the entry of people from one state or territory into another state or territory in ...
." She was part of the successful recall of
Russell Pearce Russell Keith Pearce (June 23, 1947 – January 5, 2023) was an American politician who was a Republican Party (United States), Republican (GOP) member of the Arizona State Senate. He rose to national prominence as the primary sponsor of Arizon ...
, the primary sponsor of SB 1070, in 2011. Terán was elected in November 2018 to the
Arizona House of Representatives The Arizona House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. The upper house is the Arizona Senate, Senate. The House convenes in the le ...
, and she assumed office on January 14, 2019. In 2021, Terán was elected chair of the
Arizona Democratic Party The Arizona Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Arizona. Its headquarters are in Phoenix. Along with its main rival, the Arizona Republican Party, it is one of two major parties in the state. The Arizon ...
. On September 15, 2021, Terán was appointed to the Arizona Senate to fill the remainder of Tony Navarrete's two-year term following his resignation. The Senate Democratic Caucus elected Téran to serve as the minority leader of the
Arizona State Senate The Arizona State Senate is part of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the US state of Arizona. The Senate consists of 30 members each representing an average of 219,859 constituents (2009 figure ...
, succeeding outgoing minority leader
Rebecca Rios Rebecca Rios (born June 4, 1967) is an American Democratic politician who previously served in the Arizona State Senate representing District 27 from 2019 to 2023. She also served in the Arizona House of Representatives, including as Minority Le ...
, in December 2022. She stepped down as state party chair to focus on the position, and stepped down as minority leader in March 2023, as she explored a run for the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
. In April 2023, after Congressman
Ruben Gallego Rubén Marinelarena Gallego ( ; born November 20, 1979) is an American politician and USMC, Marine Corps veteran serving since 2025 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senator, United States senator from Arizona. ...
announced his intention to run for the United States Senate against incumbent Senator
Kyrsten Sinema Kyrsten Lea Sinema ( ; born July 12, 1976) is an American politician, lawyer, and former social worker who served from 2019 to 2025 as a United States senator from Arizona. A former member of the Democratic Party, Sinema became an independent ...
, Téran announced her candidacy to succeed Gallego in of the U.S. House of Representatives in the
2024 elections This is a list of elections that were held in 2024. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. *2024 United Nations Security Council election *2024 national electoral calendar *2024 local electoral ...
. On April 13, 2023, Terán announced she was resigning from the Arizona Senate to focus on her congressional run. In July 2023, the
Working Families Party The Working Families Party (WFP) is a progressive minor political party in the United States, founded in New York in 1998. There are active chapters in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois ...
announced their endorsement of Terán. In 2023, she opposed Arizona state legislation to increase housing supply through faster permitting processes and less restrictive zoning regulations. She said that she wanted guarantees for affordable housing.


References


External links


Profile
at the
Arizona Senate The Arizona State Senate is part of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the US state of Arizona. The Senate consists of 30 members each representing an average of 219,859 constituents (2009 figure ...

Campaign website
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Teran, Raquel 21st-century American women politicians Arizona Democratic Party chairs Democratic Party Arizona state senators Democratic Party members of the Arizona House of Representatives Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Arizona Hispanic and Latino American women in politics Living people People from Douglas, Arizona Women state legislators in Arizona 1977 births 21st-century members of the Arizona State Legislature Candidates in the 2024 United States House of Representatives elections