Latino group leader enters race

Maria Rodriguez-Salazar of Vancouver, a self-described “Blue Dog Democrat,” has announced her candidacy for the 3rd Congressional District being vacated by U.S. Rep. Brian Baird.

“There are so many serious issues facing our country today that the American family finds it difficult to believe in the American dream. It is for those families that I believe I must step up,” Rodriguez-Salazar said in a statement.

Rodriguez- Salazar, 39, is the Clark County president of the League of United Latin American Citizens and has worked on Latino issues at the national level as a board member of the organization.

A strong supporter of Tim Leavitt in the recent Vancouver mayor’s race, she has called on community leaders to get past ethnic stereotypes that she says associate Latinos mainly with illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

Rodriguez-Salazar was born and raised in Texas and moved to Washington in 2003. She has worked in the health care field and as a small business owner.

In her campaign statement, she said she will focus on jobs, education, housing, health care and immigration reform.