"Right Now My Vote Is No": L.A.'s DSA Rep.-Elect Gonzales-Torres on Backing Jeffries for House Speaker

The next Congress will include about 100 new lawmakers in the House of Representatives, the largest freshman wave in decades. That also includes six newly elected members of the Democratic Socialists of America, bringing the total number of DSA members in Congress to eight. One of the incoming DSA congressmembers will be California’s Angela Gonzales-Torres, who worked two other jobs while campaigning and was massively outspent by her opponent, incumbent Democratic Congressmember Jimmy Gomez.

In her first national TV interview, Gonzales-Torres tells Democracy Now! she will prioritize immigrant justice, Medicare for All and fighting corruption, when she is sworn in. She also explains why she has not yet committed to supporting Hakeem Jeffries for House speaker.

“As of right now, my vote is no,” she says. “Over 100,000 Angelenos voted for courage. They voted for change.”