Meet the Two Hispanics Running for CD2: Gamaliel Zavala Enríquez and Teresa Benítez-Thompson

Will this be the year Northern Nevada elects a Latine representative to Congress?

Noticiero Móvil is starting a new political reporting section called in Spanish, “Desde el Norte,” which translates to “From the North.” The purpose is to highlight more of Northern Nevada’s Latino electoral candidates and policy issues. 

In this first contribution to the series, we’re focusing on Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District – which includes Reno, Carson City and the counties of Washoe, Douglas, Elko and Storey. It is here where the unexpected retirement of Congressman Mark Amodei could change the voice representing Northern Nevada. 

Since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, Republicans have held majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. This administration has sought to use that majority to advance its policy goals. A prime example is the “Big Beautiful Bill,” which became law last year.

However, across the country, dozens of Republican House members have announced that they will not seek reelection this year. For Democrats, this presents an opportunity to regain some political power. States like Iowa, Texas, and Florida are being closely watched. And, since February, Nevada has joined what is shaping up to be one of the most important elections.

Amodei has represented northern Nevada in the House since 2011. However, earlier this year, he announced his retirement after 15 years in office.

Historically, this congressional district has been dominated by Republican politicians, many who are white, in part reflecting the demographics of the rural communities of the state. 

But in recent decades, the make-up of the region has changed. Nevada looks different than it did 50 years ago. Latinos, for example, now make up 28.7% of the state’s population. And in the north, Latinos account for just over 25% of the population in counties such as Washoe, Elko, Carson, and Humboldt.

This demographic shift laid the groundwork for Nevada to elect the first Latina senator in U.S. history with the election of Catherine Cortez Masto in 2016.

So we at Noticiero Móvil are asking: Will this be the year that Northern Nevada elects a Latina representative?

Follow along to learn from two Latine candidates vying to be the Democratic nominee this June 9: Gamaliel Zavala Enriquez and Teresa Benítez-Thompson.

Who is Gamaliel Zavala Enríquez?

Meet Gamaliel “Gamy” Zavala Enríquez. He is an independent democrat running against ten other democratic candidates in this June’s primary. He works for DoorDash.

Zavala Enríquez holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public administration, and he has a very progressive platform. He has even worked on other political campaigns in the past. But above all, what Gamy values most are his firsthand experiences with life’s hardships. This has shaped his political goals and his decision to run for Congress this year.

He told our media partner KUNR that part of his electoral goals are to reduce the high cost of living.

“My solution to, frankly, 50 years of economic inequality is a citizen’s dividend or universal basic income. I envision a Nevada Permanent Fund through mineral wealth, Tesla and Amazon, direct payments of $1,300 once a month for every Nevadan paid for by these billionaire companies, which we have built thanks to taxpayer money. All we’re asking for is our fair share.”

But Zavala Enríquez isn’t the only Latino running for Congress.

Who is Teresa Benítez-Thompson?

Meet Teresa Benítez-Thompson. Having served as a member of the Nevada Assembly for over 12 years, Benítez-Thompson is no stranger to the world of state politics. And this year, she hopes to take her ability to represent Nevadans to a whole new level.

Noticiero Móvil met with Benítez-Thompson for an interview at the Reynolds College of Journalism, here at the University of Nevada, Reno. She told us more about the kind of representative she hopes to be if elected.

A significant part of her platform focuses on issues such as the cost of living. Above all, Benítez-Thompson hopes to be an approachable figure for the rest of Nevada’s residents.

When asked “why run for this seats now,” Benítez-Thompson responded that with her background in social work, she wants to advocate for social safety nets and mentioned that food assistance and health insurance programs, such as SNAP and Medicaid, are essential to the well-being of many Nevadans.

Benítez-Thompson also shared that when she first ran for office, her friends encouraged her to deny her cultural roots. But she stated that she wants people to know that she will always stay true to herself.

If you liked what you read, you can vote for Gamaliel Zavala Enriquez or Teresa Benítez-Thompson until the evening of June 9. With just one day left in the primary election, we’ll soon find out who will be running in the general election in November.

The translation was done by editor Claudia Cruz using artificial intelligence