“I am not new to this district. I run four Hispanic chambers and three are in this district,” she said. Those are in Sierra Vista, Douglas and Tucson. The fourth chamber is in Nogales, in Congressional District 3.

She became the president and CEO of the chamber in 2009, stepping into the role after serving on the board of directors.

“I think that those who know me know that I get things done and I want to be part of the process of getting things done in D.C.,” she said.

However, Márquez-Peterson’s campaign rollout has come with some criticism, with some Democrats noting her bankruptcy filing in 2005 related to several gas stations she owned. Pima County Superior Court records showed a settlement with one creditor in 2006 for $629,298.

She doesn’t shy away from those criticisms.

“When you start a business, you are taking great risks. And not all businesses are successful, unfortunately,” Márquez-Peterson said. “I think when I started my businesses, the gas station in particular, at the peak I employed more than 50 employees and did a quite sizable revenue.”

She said since those businesses failed, she has had successes with other business ventures and has increased the size of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.