Lydia Hernandez

Hernandez has served as an elected member of the Cartwright Elementary School District Board since 2004. She currently serves as the Governing Board President{{Cite web |title=Governing Board / Meet the Governing Board |url=https://www.csd83.org/Page/1275 |access-date=2025-01-28 |website=www.csd83.org |language=en}}In this role, she attended a Mexican American School Boards Association meeting in Texas in 2019 and reportedly caused a scene while intoxicated. She was banned from the organization's events for two years and her position as chair-elect of the National Hispanic Council of the National School Boards Association was revoked due to the incident.{{cite web|url=https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/texas-education-group-banned-phoenix-city-council-candidate-11218070|title=Texas Education Group Banned Phoenix City Council Candidate Over Behavior|date=February 22, 2019|access-date=April 22, 2024|last=Flaherty|first=Joseph|website=Phoenix New Times}}

Hernandez's daughter, Cassandra Hernandez, won a seat on the Cartwright Elementary School District Board at just 19 years old in November 2024.https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-people/2024/12/29/maryvale-born-and-raised-young-mom-to-join-her-school-districts-board/76604040007/https://www.csd83.org/domain/220 However, her daughter's ability to serve was complicated by Arizona state law prohibiting individuals from running or serving as school board members with an immediate family member with whom they resided in the previous four years.https://www.azleg.gov/ars/15/00421.htm Critics say this makes the board essentially illegitimate. https://www.arizonaagenda.com/p/arizonas-most-dysfunctional-school The criticism led her ally in the House, Consuelo Hernandez, to sponsor an amendment to a bill she sponsored that would have allowed Cassandra to legally serve with her mother. https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/83356https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/57leg/1R/adopted/H.2883FloorHERNANDEZ%20C.pdf That bill did not pass, but with her daughter and another ally on the five-member board, Hernandez controls the majority vote and made an immediate staff shake-up by placing the interim superintendent on paid leave and hiring former Maricopa County School Superintendent Steve Watson. The hire drew immediate backlash from the local community as Watson had lost his last primary reelection campaign after allegations of financial mismanagement.https://www.azfamily.com/video/2025/01/24/community-upset-over-cartwright-elementary-district-school-board-nepotism/https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-education/2025/02/04/steve-watson-acting-superintendent-cartwright-school-district-governing-board/78052473007/

Hernandez has served in the Arizona House of Representatives twice, first from 2013 to 2015 and currently since 2023.

She endorsed Republican Doug Ducey in the 2018 Arizona gubernatorial election.

Hernandez voted with Republicans to ban photo radar and red light cameras from ticketing drivers.{{cite web|url=https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2023/05/18/gop-lawmakers-push-photo-radar-ban/|title=GOP lawmakers push photo radar ban|date=May 18, 2023|access-date=April 22, 2024|website=Arizona Capitol Times|last=Thorington|first=Jakob}}

In February 2024, Hernandez filed an ethics complaint alleging other Arizona Democrats bullied her. The complaint was ultimately dismissed for being identical to a previously dismissed workplace harassment complaint made by her.{{cite web|url=https://azmirror.com/briefs/ethics-committee-drops-complaint-of-democrats-bullying-one-of-their-own/|title=Ethics committee drops complaint of Democrats bullying one of their own|last=Sievers|first=Caitlin|date=May 20, 2024|access-date=May 25, 2024|website=Arizona Mirror}}

In 2014, Hernandez ran for Arizona State Senate after incumbent senator Steve Gallardo retired to run for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. She was narrowly defeated by fellow representative Martín Quezada in the Democratic primary.

She ran for the seat again in 2016, challenging Quezada in the Democratic primary. The race was notably uncivil and negative between the two candidates, with both candidates and their respective supporters attacking each other on social media.{{cite web|url=https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2016/08/15/ld29-senate-race-gets-ugly-bernie-bro-vs-fake-democrat/|title=LD29 Senate race gets ugly: ‘Bernie Bro’ vs. ‘fake Democrat’|date=August 15, 2016|access-date=April 22, 2024|last=Giles|first=Ben|website=Arizona Capitol Times}} Quezada ultimately defeated Hernandez again.

In 2019, Hernandez ran for Phoenix City Council. She was defeated in the primary election.{{cite web|url=https://www.thearizonatribune.com/phoenix-council-candidates-to-go-for-run-off-elections-on-may-21/|title=Phoenix Council Candidates to go for Run-off Elections on May 21|last=Brown|first=Patricia|date=March 18, 2019|access-date=May 25, 2024|website=The Arizona Tribune}}

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Category:Living people

Category:Democratic Party members of the Arizona House of Representatives

Category:Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Arizona

Category:Hispanic and Latino American women in politics

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:21st-century American women politicians

Category:Baylor University alumni

Category:21st-century members of the Arizona State Legislature