Higher Heights Statement on Hala Ayala Advancing in Virginia’s Lt. Gubernatorial Election

BROOKLYN — Today, Glynda C. Carr, the President and CEO of Higher Heights for America — issued the following statement after Virginia Delegate Hala Ayala advanced in her election to be the next Lt. Governor of Virginia.

“We congratulate our endorsed candidate Hala Ayala on her historic candidacy and for advancing in the race to be Virginia’s first Afro-Latina Lt. Governor. Tonight’s news of her advancement is not only a win for Virginia, but for our nation. 

Hala is a leader meant for this moment. She has shown deep commitment to ensuring the voices of marginalized communities are represented and we are excited about continuing to support her in her race to become part of the growing movement of Black women running and winning for statewide executive offices across the nation. Of the 95 women across the country that currently hold statewide executive office, 19 of them or 20.0% are women of color. We look forward to helping ensure Hala will be added to this number.

At Higher Heights, we are steadfastly committed to eliminating gaps in Black women’s representation across our nation. Our organization looks forward to continuing this momentum with our support of Hala in the coming weeks and months headed into the general election on Tuesday, November 2nd.” 

Higher Heights for America is the only national organization exclusively dedicated to building the political power of black women and electing more progressive Black women at the federal and statewide levels and as mayors in the 100 most populous U.S. cities. Read more about Higher Heights’ official endorsed candidates here.