Alma Canales (born 1947) is an American organizer and activist best known for being the first and only Chicana, and the only Mexican-American, to run for lieutenant governor of Texas.
Canales wrote for the Castro County News for a short time before moving in 1969 to Wisconsin as part of the Colorado Migrant Council to establish childcare centers.
She later enrolled in Colegio Jacinto Trevino in Mercedes, Texas during which time she traveled to Mexico City as a representative of the United States Department of Education.
Drawing from her experiences in MAYO and at Colegio Jacinto Trevino, Canales directed her energy into the early formation of Partido Raza Unida.
Although she lost the lieutenant governor's race, "many down-ballot Raza Unida Party candidates won, and they were often Chicanas.