Latino Victory Project names new leadership

The Latino Victory Project has announced Sindy Benavides as its new president and CEO, replacing Nathalie Rayes, who was nominated by President Biden as ambassador to Croatia.

Benavides takes the top job after serving as the group’s executive director, a job that will now go to Katharine Pichardo-Erskine, a strategist with 25 years of political experience.

The Latino Victory Project is an influential advocacy group focused on increasing Latino representation, and it often is a stepping stone for its leaders to take on top administration and campaign positions.

Past leaders include former head Cristóbal Alex, who served as a senior adviser to President Biden’s 2020 campaign and as deputy White House Cabinet secretary, and former Executive Director Mayra Macías, who now runs Building Back Together, Biden’s top outside support group.

Groups like the Latino Victory Project have their hands full because the 2024 election could consolidate or claw back gains in Hispanic representation.

“The fact is that while Latinos represent roughly 18 percent of the U.S. population, we only occupy about 2 percent of the nation’s elected offices. Representation matters — and Latino Victory is inspired by our candidates who confront long odds when they run for office, yet understand that true inclusion and progress start when they are at the table at local school board meetings, in city councils, and the halls of state legislatures and Congress,” said Benavides.

Benavides, who got her start in politics working for Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), rose to CEO over a decade at the League of Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the country’s oldest Hispanic civil rights organization.

Though her exit from LULAC was tumultuous amid a fight over the national presidency of that organization, she was quickly snatched by the Latino Victory Project, the organization she will now lead into 2024.

“With unprecedented challenges as a community, it is vital that we have a leadership team at the helm committed to developing Latino Victory by electing more Latinos to office, re-electing President Biden and expanding the Latino electorate,” said Latino Victory Project board Chair Luis A. Miranda Jr. 

“I am confident that Sindy and Katharine are the right leaders at this political juncture.”

Latino Victory’s all-Latina leadership group will play a key role in the ever-changing environment of Hispanic endorsements, fundraising, and voter engagement programs.

The group endorses dozens of candidates each cycle, from city council to president, often giving a step up to local candidates with limited resources.

“As the presidential campaign and other critical elections come before us, the Latino Victory Fund will double down on our commitment to empowering our communities and making sure our voices are heard loud and clear in the halls of power,” said Pichardo-Erskine. 

Updated at 10:12 a.m.