Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2026 - Esmeralda Cantu Castle, Texas House of Representatives, District 37

In the 2024 presidential election, South Texas (particularly the Rio Grande Valley), voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump, after over 100 years of voting solidly Democratic. The reasons were myriad: overwhelming inflation and a sputtering local economy, Trump’s machismo appealed to young male voters in the region, and widespread exhaustion with decades of illegal immigration. Well, we see what Trump’s presidency has wrought: increasing inflation and a sputtering local economy, a deranged machismo bordering on reckless insanity, and the wholesale deportation of both undocumented and documented immigrants alike (as well as several US citizens) from the Rio Grande Valley.

Esmeralda Cantu-Castle (she/her) is running to change all that. Esmi was first encouraged to run for political office in the aftermath of the brutal murder of her daughter, a Navy Seaman, last year, by a fellow sailor who kept her body for four days before dumping it in the woods behind an elementary school in Norfolk, Virginia. Esmi is passionate about supporting others, particularly workers, families, and veterans. This millennial mom is running to ensure that women in her district are afforded access to contraception and reproductive healthcare. Dismayed at how Elon Musk’s SpaceX corporation has willfully polluted South Texas, she is also running on a strong environmental platform that protects both the land and water of the Rio Grande Valley.

SWAC: Influencer, zIssue 58Andrew FMay 11, 2026latinx, latina, Texas, Texas businesses, birth control, Environmentally Conscious, election 2026, mother, MotherhoodComment

Emiliana Guereca on Women's Reproductive Rights and Equality for All

Emiliana Guereca is the President of the Women’s March LA Foundation, which was founded in 2016. In her interview with Jejune Magazine, Emiliana explains that the Foundation was established due to the 2016 election and the amounting threats towards Women’s Rights from both parties. Even today, their work is more prevalent then ever. Recently, the states of Texas and Mississippi have created legislation to ban abortion well before fetal viability. In response, the Women’s March Foundation is putting together a direct mail postcard campaign aimed at big brass Texas businesses asking them to support women’s reproductive rights. Over 250k postcards have already been sent to CEO’S of Texas organizations that supposedly support women. Readers can get involved by visiting their website, listed down below. Read on to learn more about the important work Emiliana Guereca and the Women’s March Foundation of LA is doing to advocate for equality.