Fight For Our Tomorrow
Join the Campaign for Working Arizonans
Fight For Our Tomorrow
Join the Campaign for Working Arizonans
@AndresBarraza
@BarrazaRunsForCongress
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@MyAmericanExperience
About the Candidate
Born in Tempe, a "Small Town" in Arizona
Arizona is home—I was born and raised here and graduated from Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe as a teen parent, where in 2018 he also graduated from MdN. I am the midde child of 3 kids: older brother and younger sister. We were raised by two working-class parents from Douglas, Arizona, who instilled in us duty, responsibility, and strong family and community values.
Raising Arizona
The Tempe/ Scottsdale area was a great place to grow up in the 90s. I grew up in a working-class/ middle-class neighborhood. A neighborhood where families knew each other and watch each other's kids when emergencies arose. Us kids knew each other and would play pickup football in the street while a pile of bikes laid on the front lawns of homes. Weekends were marathons of outdoor gatherings of kids till the streetlights came on. You could do that in those days.
It was a time when I couldn't get in a fight with a kid without my father knowing about it before I could tell him. That upraising is what fuels my passion for building and serving our community, today.
On My Mom's Side
My grandparents’ stories are Arizona, too. My maternal grandmother as a young girl worked the harvests in Phoenix, alongside so many Arizonan families where working the harvests was a community event. My grandfather spent his life working construction, first helping to build the Palo Verde Nuclear Plant then moving to Tucson for work and eventually moving to Douglas Arizona with his wife where they will have raised 2 boys and two girls on a house he built with his two hands.
On My Father's Side
On my father’s side, my grandparents raised four boys in Douglas, Arizona. My grandfather passed away while my dad was only 13—and the family had to do whatever it took to survive. My grandfather had helped organize farmworker strikes and, on a few occasions, even hosted César Chávez—and once, Bobby Kennedy. I never met him, but I feel like he and I know each other somehow.
My father and his brothers worked jobs as teenagers to help keep the family afloat. My dad worked the fields at 13 and saw firsthand how immigrant workers were treated—denied water until they finished a row, injured on the job, and often refused pay or had immigration called on them to avoid paying them. As he got older, he took on punishing work at the smelter, including cleaning the inside of soot chutes and other jobs often handed to the youngest workers. To this day, his body still carries that pain.
My grandmother was an incredibly strong woman, mentally and physically. She went to work in the garment factories in Mexico to provide for her family. Growing up, watching her with pain in her hands left an impression on me.
All four of her sons went on to become firefighters, small business leaders and medical professionals.
Wildfires to College to Elected Official
In 2009, I went on to serve as a wildland firefighter first with Arizona State Forestry then with the U.S. Forest Service in Cave Creek, where I learned good habits from good leadership. I learned what it means to show up, work as a team, and protect the people you serve. During that time, my son began living with me. I spent the first half of his high school years spending the summers away, fighting wildfires, but spending the Winter and Spring going to college and spending quality time with my son.
Coffee Trucks and Community Service
By 2014, I stepped away from fighting wildfires. I made that choice for one reason: to be present for my son during his high school years. In 2016, we built a coffee truck together and started a small business. From farmers markets to weddings, we spent countless hours side by side—working hard, learning as we went, and building something of our own. I look back on that time as some of the best of my life. Today, we still operate our coffee truck and a food trailer on occasion.
Decision to Run for US Congress
In 2018, I was elected to the Tempe Union High School District Governing Board and re-elected in 2022.
This January 2026, I filed with the FEC to run for Congress in Arizona’s 1st District because too many working families are doing everything right and still falling behind. I’m running to grow a strong middle class, fund and support public education while expanding Career and Technical Education opportunities, and improve health care for every American by strengthening the Affordable Care Act and restoring drug price negotiations so families can afford the care they need.
Your Donation in Motion
Contributions Fund Community Action
When you donate to my campaign, you’re funding community initiatives that make a real impact. Contributions go towards neighborhood action that brings people together to work on issues face-to-face—not corporate media buyouts. We're focused on community, working together and accountable to the district we serve.
News Articles About My Service
Tempe Tribune News
Ahwatukee Foothills News
Ahwatukee Foothills News
Comeback Complete for New Tempe Union Board President
By Paul Maryniak, Tribune Executive Editor
Jan 14, 2025 Updated Jan 28, 2025
Ahwatukee Foothills News
Ahwatukee Foothills News
Ahwatukee Foothills News
Tempe Union Board President Steps Down, Triggering Tension
By Paul Maryniak, AFN Executive Editor
Aug 16, 2025 Updated Aug 22, 2025
Blog For Arizona
Ahwatukee Foothills News
Blog For Arizona
Contact Us - Congressional District 01 (Map)
Contact Us! Better Yet, Let's Meet Up
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We're Strong When We Work Together
