Seven Brazilian Democrats Elected to State Legislatures in Four States

At least seven Brazilian Democrats won election to state legislatures in the United States during the midterm elections: Felipe Sousa, Priscila Sousa, Rita Mendes, Lorena Betts, Farley Santos, Danillo Sena and Elaine Marzola. They will serve in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Nevada and Florida. Three of the seven were reelected in Massachusetts, while the other four include two incumbents in Connecticut and Nevada and first-time state legislator Felipe Sousa in Florida.

Massachusetts elected four of the Brazilian candidates: Priscila Sousa, Rita Mendes and Danillo Sena won reelection, and Lorena Betts was elected to her first term. The state is home to about 112,446 Brazilians, according to the American Community Survey, and has the second-largest Brazilian community in the country, behind Florida. The four will represent districts in Middlesex County.

Priscila Sousa, who was born in Ipatinga, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, moved to the United States at age 7. She will again represent the 6th Middlesex District, in the Framingham area. Before serving in the Massachusetts Legislature, she became the first immigrant elected president of the Framingham City Council. Rita Mendes, also born in Ipatinga, emigrated at age 12. Before entering U.S. politics, she worked as a housekeeper and a waitress. She was the first Brazilian to serve on the Brockton City Council.

Betts, who is from the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, will represent the 16th Middlesex District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. She has organized forums and debates with federal immigration judges to help Brazilian and Latino residents understand their rights in the United States. Danillo Sena, from Timbaúba in the state of Pernambuco, moved to the United States at age 14 and was reelected to represent the 37th Middlesex District. Before becoming a state representative, he spent years working as a legislative aide at the Massachusetts State House in Boston.

In Connecticut, Farley Santos was reelected to a third term representing the 109th State House District, which includes Danbury. He completed high school and college in the city, earning a degree in business administration. Santos built a career in finance and served as vice president of community development at Savings Bank of Danbury before entering politics. He has also been involved in social programs for young people in disadvantaged communities in Connecticut.

Elaine Marzola, who was born in Rio de Janeiro and moved to the United States when she was young, was reelected in Nevada for a third consecutive term representing the 21st Assembly District. She lives in the Las Vegas-Henderson area and began her career working directly with clients at SafeNest, one of Nevada’s largest shelters for domestic violence survivors. Marzola now serves in the Nevada Legislature as Speaker Pro Tempore and leads the chamber’s Democratic caucus.

In Florida, 40-year-old Democrat Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet won his first race for state office in what was described as a difficult contest in a state traditionally seen as a Republican stronghold. Sousa, who is from Duque de Caxias in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro, moved to the United States as a teenager and spent years living in the country without legal status. His election made him the first Brazilian elected to the Florida Legislature and, according to the account, the first openly gay immigrant to hold the position in the state.