This week, Del. Hala Ayala was declared the winner of the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor in Virginia, USA.
Beating five of her opponents, Ayala was far ahead of the second-most-voted candidate, Sam Rasoul, according to The Washington Post.
Ayala, who is Lebanese on her mother’s side, comes from an impressively diverse background of African, Latin American, Irish, and Lebanese roots.
A part of her success is reportedly her inert ability to understand people’s struggles and needs having been through struggle herself; from losing her father to gun violence to experiencing medical and family issues.
Ayala also went from working at a gas station for minimum wage while pregnant to a career as a cybersecurity specialist at the United States Department of Homeland Security.
Now, she is focused on cybersecurity, health care, gun violence prevention, criminal justice reforms, raising teacher pay, and more.
In 2017, she became the first Hispanic woman elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. Ayala would be the first woman – and woman of color – to be elected Virginia Lieutenant Governor.
The United States government has had, and currently has, a number of Lebanese-American politicians.