Daniel Hernandez

Daniel was born and raised in Tucson, his mother an immigrant from Mexico who came to the U.S. where she met Daniel’s father. A first-generation college student, Daniel attended the University of Arizona when he interned for then-Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and was there on the day of the tragic attack on her life which resulted in 6 deaths and 13 people injured. Daniel was the first to administer first aid to the Congresswoman before the EMTs arrived and was named a national hero by President Obama. Inspired by Congresswoman Giffords’s commitment to public service, Daniel went on to advocate for access to reproductive health care and education as program manager for Raíz, Planned Parenthood’s Latino outreach program. He was also elected to his local school board, where he became the youngest school board president in the district’s history. Daniel served in the Arizona State House from 2017-2023. He was one of the youngest elected and is a cofounder of the House LGBTQ caucus. In the House, he worked to pass bills protecting survivors of sexual assault and secure $20 million for school resource officers, counselors, and social workers. He also led the fight against legislation that would discriminate against LGBTQ Arizonans. Most recently, Daniel has worked at Stand for Children in Arizona, an organization dedicated to ensuring all children receive a quality education.