Yadira Caraveo
A pediatrician and an accomplished legislator
Rep. Dr. Yadira Caraveo is a pediatrician and an accomplished legislator who ran for Congress to build on her life’s work of advocating for children and families. Rep. Caraveo’s parents came to Colorado from a small town in Mexico looking for a better life, and raised their four children on a construction worker’s pay in the Adams County home where they still live. She knew from an early age that she wanted to help people as a doctor. After attending public schools and completing her undergraduate education, she continued on to medical school at the University of Colorado and became the first physician in her family. Dr. Caraveo, who is fluent in Spanish, chose to be a pediatrician in Adams County, serving a Latino community whose families are often unable to find providers who speak their language and understand their culture. She quickly understood that the best way to help the most people is through the community, state, and national movements that advocate for the needs of the underserved, and so she ran for the Colorado General Assembly in 2018 and won. As a pediatrician, a state legislator, and the daughter of immigrants, Rep. Caraveo will bring invaluable lived experience to Washington.
A champion for Coloradans
Rep. Caraveo has lived the American Dream, and she is fighting to keep it alive for the next generation. “My parents taught us that when it comes to your community, you work hard and you lend a hand whenever you can,” she has said, and she has put values into action throughout her career. Even before she finished her medical training, Dr. Caraveo helped organize her fellow medical residents for better working conditions, becoming a union representative with SEIU. She has worked with the Union of Concerned Scientists to enlist doctors across the country in the fight against climate change, and President Obama recognized her as a Champion of Change for her efforts. As a pediatrician in a community where 65% of her patients’ families are on Medicaid, Rep. Caraveo is deeply committed to expanding access to affordable quality health care. In Congress, she will continue her commitment to the families she sees every day in Colorado, building on her work to lower health care costs, address the high cost of housing, combat climate change, fight for reproductive justice, and stop Republicans from taking away Americans’ right to vote.
An historic victory in a new seat
Rep. Caraveo ran for Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, newly created due to the state’s population gains in the past decade. Colorado had never before elected a Latina to Congress until she made history as the first. More than 38% of residents in this new district identify as Hispanic, and her years of service and deep ties make her the best candidate to give this community a powerful new voice in Washington. We showed Rep. Caraveo our full support and helped elect this champion for Coloradans to Congress in this must-win new district.