Emily Benavides is a bilingual operative with nearly two decades of Congressional and political campaign experience.

Until his retirement in January 2023, Emily served as Communications Director at the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee for Ranking Member Rob Portman (R-OH), strategically advising him on his media presence in her home state of Ohio and nationwide.

Prior to joining Portman’s Washington, DC Senate office, Benavides worked on the Jeb! 2016 presidential campaign as Traveling Press Secretary and Hispanic Communications Director. Throughout the 2016 primary, she managed Governor Jeb Bush’s media booking, surrogate booking, and Hispanic media operations as well as managing media on the ground across the country while traveling with the candidate.

In 2014, she served as Communications Director for Governor Rick Snyder’s victorious re-election campaign in Michigan. In this capacity, she managed communications strategy for the campaign, building a content driven media engagement plan in coordination with a forward thinking digital campaign.

During the 2012 election cycle, Benavides was Florida Press Secretary and National Hispanic Press Secretary for the Romney campaign, and prior to that, Specialty Press Secretary for the Republican National Convention in Tampa.

Benavides was named one of the 40 under 40: Latinos in American Politics in 2014 by The Huffington Post. They went on call her “one of the Republican Party’s top Latina communications operatives.” In 2015, she was recognized by Cosmo for Latinas with a Fun, Fearless award for outstanding contributions in the political arena. In 2021, the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute honored Benavides with the Vermillion Congressional Staff Appreciation Award. She also served on the advisory board for the Congressional Hispanic Staff Association.

Benavides has also served as Communications Director for the Hispanic Leadership Network, an initiative of the American Action Network. She began her career on Capitol Hill in the House of Representatives.

Benavides resides in Washington, DC with her husband and daughter.