Elizabeth Guzman came to this country as an immigrant in 1999. A young single mother starting with just $300 in her pocket, she worked one job during the day, another at night and a third on weekends until she could afford a small apartment for herself and her daughter. Nothing was too hard for this young mom from Peru - at night Elizabeth attended NOVA then Capella University before going on to earn multiple masters degrees. Elizabeth embodies the spirit of the American Dream.
Elizabeth’s experience in life gave her the passion to help others in our society who can be invisible - building her career as a social worker who protected children from abuse and helped individuals facing mental health challenges. When Prince William County became nationally known for their attacks on immigrants Elizabeth stood up to organize her community to fight back - and she won.
When Donald Trump was elected as President, Elizabeth knew we were facing a monumental moment in American history- and she stepped up to run herself. She defeated a 16-year Republican incumbent for the House of Delegates and never forgot where she came from - leading Democrats as they used their new legislative power to implement Obamacare medicaid expansions for over 400,000 Virginians that did not have health care. Seeing the power of this message, Speaker Nancy Pelosi selected Elizabeth to give the state of the union response to Trump for Spanish language viewers across the country.
As a Delegate Elizabeth didn’t stop at helping pass the greatest expansion of healthcare in Virginia’s history. She introduced over 100 bills including historic paid-sick days legislation, hiring more school counselors and lifting Virginia’s ban on public sector collective bargaining. She continued to win and deliver for all of her constituents in a bipartisan fashion and drew praise from across the aisle for ensuring rural communities were included and never left behind.
Elizabeth and her husband Carlos reside in Prince William County where they have raised four children together- all of whom have attended Prince William County Public Schools.