Any chance that Ayanna Pressley would have a quiet freshman term vanished when President Donald Trump chose her as one of his favorite targets. But she’s used that unexpected national prominence to push for the social justice and progressive programs near to her heart. Pressley’s priorities reflect the interests and problems of her diverse district, focusing particularly on the needs of towns such as Roxbury and Chelsea, where poverty, drugs, and lack of health care are important concerns. She worked for Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Joseph Kennedy and later served as Democratic Sen. John Kerry’s political director. In 2009, she won a seat on the Boston City Council and was re-elected every two years through 2017.

Learn what Ayanna Pressley says about finding common ground