Meet Daniel
Daniel Hernandez is running for Congress to fight for the progressive values that Southern Arizona families depend on—our rights, our livelihoods, and our democracy.
For Daniel, public service isn’t a choice—it’s a calling. Born and raised in Tucson, Daniel’s mother immigrated from Mexico in search of a better future. His dad worked in construction and volunteered in the community, teaching him the value of hard work and giving back.
At his core, Daniel knows how life-changing access to healthcare can be. As a teenager, he became severely ill without access to healthcare and almost died. It was the healthcare provided by Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program that saved his life. That first-hand experience with healthcare inspired him to do research and help patients.
Daniel worked through college at the University of Arizona, in a cancer research lab, then as a phlebotomist, and finally as a nursing assistant. He learned skills that gave him the preparation to help provide critical first aid to Congresswoman Gabby Giffords on that terrible day of January 8th, 2011.
As the first in his family to go to college, Daniel attended the University of Arizona where he interned for then-Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. On January 8th, 2011, a gunman opened fire at an event featuring the Congresswoman, severely injuring her and taking the lives of six others. On the tragic day of the assassination attempt on her life, Daniel didn’t hesitate— while on site he was the first to administer first aid. President Obama recognized him as a national hero, but Daniel was just doing what he always does: stepping up when it matters most.
Inspired by Congresswoman Giffords’s courage and commitment to public service, Daniel dedicated his life to fighting for the people of Southern Arizona. He championed reproductive rights as a program manager for Planned Parenthood’s Latino outreach program and became the youngest school board president in Sunnyside district history, standing up for students and teachers against extremist attacks on public education. From 2012 to 2014, he was the state director of Everytown for Gun Safety, advocating for gun violence prevention legislation to make communities safer across Arizona.
Elected to the Arizona State House in 2017, Daniel co-founded the House LGBTQ caucus and fought tirelessly to protect the rights of LGBTQ Arizonans from discrimination. He stood up to far-right politicians trying to strip away reproductive freedom, weaken gun safety laws, and undermine democracy. He worked to expand access to affordable health care because he knows firsthand what it’s like to struggle with serious illness and not have access to healthcare.
His work in the legislature to protect healthcare access earned him recognition as the 2019 Women’s Healthcare Champion from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. While extreme Republicans were playing political games with Arizonans’ lives during the pandemic, Daniel fought in the legislature to protect critical healthcare services and save lives. Daniel has always trusted science and worked on expanding healthcare research and services.
Now, Daniel is taking the fight to Congress because we need leaders who won’t back down. In Washington, he’ll continue standing up to extremists like Donald Trump and Elon Musk who want to roll back our rights, undermine democracy, and gut our healthcare and public schools. He’ll fight to protect our rights, lower costs for Arizona families, make housing more affordable, fund our public schools, and safeguard our elections. And he’ll always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid – critical services that Arizonans paid for and depend on to make ends meet.
Daniel has never shied away from a fight—because for him, standing up for what’s right isn’t just politics. It’s who he is.