La'Tasha Mayes facts for kids

La'Tasha Mayes is an American activist and politician. She is a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Mayes belongs to the Democratic Party. She represents the 24th district. This district includes parts of Pittsburgh.

Early Life and Education

Mayes was born and grew up in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She studied at the University of Pittsburgh. In 2003, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business. Later, she attended Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University. She graduated in 2005 with a Master of Science degree. This degree was in public policy and management.

Early Career and Activism

Mayes is known as an activist and community organizer. She works to improve healthcare access for everyone.

Founding New Voices for Justice

In 2004, Mayes helped start an organization called New Voices for Reproductive Justice. This group focuses on the health and well-being of Black women and LGBT people. They work in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Mayes was the president and executive director until 2022.

Important Legal Victories

In 2015, her organization won a lawsuit. This lawsuit made the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services expand Medicaid coverage. Medicaid is a health program for people with lower incomes. This helped over 74,000 low-income women in Pennsylvania get healthcare.

Supporting Fair Healthcare

In 2022, the group supported Democratic candidate Josh Shapiro. They helped organize voters for him. They believed his election was important for protecting women's healthcare choices in Pennsylvania.

Working for Equal Rights

In 2008, New Voices for Reproductive Justice helped push for new human relations commissions. These commissions help make sure people are not treated unfairly. This includes unfair treatment based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

When Allegheny County created such a commission in 2009, Mayes was chosen to be its vice chair. In 2022, Mayes said that strengthening laws against discrimination was a key goal. She wanted to make sure everyone had equal rights.

Running for City Council

In 2015, Mayes ran for the Pittsburgh City Council. She ran in the 7th district. She lost the Democratic primary election to Deborah Gross.

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Elections for State Representative

2022 Special Election

On January 19, 2022, Mayes announced she would run for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. She aimed for the 24th district. The seat became open when Rep. Ed Gainey became mayor of Pittsburgh.

A special election was held to fill the seat. Local Democratic party members chose the nominee. Martell Covington was chosen, and Mayes placed second. Covington won the special election on April 5, 2022.

2022 Regular Election

Mayes ran for the same seat again in the regular Democratic primary on May 17, 2022. This election was for a full term starting in 2023. She said she wanted to improve community health. She also wanted to address unfairness in healthcare.

Mayes also highlighted her experience in women's health. She argued she was the best candidate to protect women's healthcare choices. This was especially important as political discussions about these rights were happening.

In the Democratic primary, Mayes won against the current Rep. Covington. She received 46% of the votes, while Covington got 38%. Political experts noted that Mayes won even without the county Democratic committee's official support.

Mayes won the general election on November 8, 2022, without an opponent.

Committee Roles

As a state representative, Mayes serves on several important committees:

• Appropriations
• Environmental Resources and Energy
• Health
• Judiciary

Time in Office

When Mayes took office, she made history. She became the first openly gay state legislator in Pennsylvania's history.

Personal Life

Mayes lives in Pittsburgh. She lives with her partner and daughter.