Teresa Leger Fernandez is one step closer to entering the U.S. Congress…

The Latina politician, a progressive Democrat, defeated former CIA operative Valerie Plameto win the Democratic nomination in New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District. 

Leger Fernandez overcame six competitors including Plame to win her party’s nomination to succeed U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján as he runs for U.S. Senate.

Leger Fernandez, an attorney and activist who has emphasized her strong ties to the local community. 

Leger Fernandez emphasized her long history in the district throughout her campaign. “In New Mexico, we recognize there’s nothing to gain in demonizing an other,” Ms. Leger Fernandez said in an interview Wednesday. “It’s clear that voters liked that I am a Latina, based in the land and respectful of the land, and have complete acknowledgment of how we are different and that can be celebrated.”

She had secured a slate of top-tier endorsements, including from EMILY’s List, the Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood Action Fund and the Latino Victory Fund, and she received endorsements from high-profile national Democrats, including Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. She had raised nearly $1.3 million.

The nomination of Leger Fernandez, a professional advocate for Native American pueblo communities and voting rights issues, is likely to be decisive in the vast northern district where Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 2-1.

The congressional district — the state’s third — spans northern New Mexico and includes the capital of Santa Fe.