Hilda Solis

Candidate for U.S. Representative, Congressional District 38

Hilda Lucia Solis was born October 20, 1957, in Los Angeles. She grew up in La Puente, California. Her parents were immigrants from Mexico and Nicaragua who both worked union jobs. She earned a B.A. in political science from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, in 1979. She earned an M.P.A. from the University of Southern California in 1981. Solis served in the California State Assembly from 1992 to 1994. She served in the State Senate from 1994 to 2000. There, she wrote environmental justice legislation. In 2000, she became the first woman to win the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. She represented California's 31st and 32nd Congressional Districts in the U.S. House from 2001 to 2009. She focused on labor and environmental issues. She was then confirmed as U.S. Secretary of Labor under President Obama, serving from 2009 to 2013. She was the first Latina to lead a federal cabinet department. Since 2014, she has served on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, representing District 1. She has also served as Board Chair. Her current term ends in December 2026. In 2026, Solis is running for the U.S. House in California's 38th District. The new district lines follow California's Proposition 50 redistricting measure, which voters approved in November 2025. Born October 20, 1957. Home: Los Angeles / La Puente area, California (First District, LA County). Occupation: Los Angeles County Supervisor, First District (through the end of her current term, December 2026). Prior office: current LA County Supervisor, District 1 (since 2014); previously U.S. Representative, CA-31/32 (2001-2009), and U.S. Secretary of Labor (2009-2013); not the incumbent in this specific U.S. House race.

Profiles are compiled from the candidate’s own statements and public records. We never tell you how to vote.