She is active in Democratic politics and has supported the campaigns of Robert F. Kennedy, George McGovern, Al Gore, Howard Dean, Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris, and Joe Biden.

By the late 1950s, she was founding new CSO chapters and working as a lobbyist, testifying before the California State Legislature in support of giving retirement benefits to noncitizens and health coverage to farm workers while opposing the controversial Bracero Program.

[26] In 1962, frustrated with the CSO's unwillingness to advocate for farmworkers, she co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) with Cesar and fellow organizer Gilbert Padilla.

[33] Her duties included making phone calls, collecting union dues, and visiting worker camps in Stockton and nearby towns.

She struggled to earn enough money to support her family during this time, subsisting by taking on temporary work as a translator, substitute teacher, and onion farmer to supplement her NFWA income.

After the union eventually released the grapes for distribution, she launched a consumer boycott in coalition with local churches, labor organizations, liberal activists, and student groups.

Amidst a conflict between the UFW and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the Agricultural Labor Relations Board, which had been created by the ALRA, shut down due to lack of funding in 1976.

[52] After the failure of the proposition, Cesar blamed boycott leader Nick Jones for the loss and accused him and fellow organizer Charlie March of being part of a "left-wing conspiracy to undermine the union".

[54] Cesar, influenced by Dederich, began advocating for the use of a confrontational group criticism method called "the Game" in UFW meetings.

[56] During this period, Huerta came into conflict with several UFW staff members, including lawyer Jerry Cohen, as well as organizers Padilla, Berta Batres, Chris Hatmire, Juan Gutierrez, Marshall Ganz, and brothers Chava and Mario Bustamente.

[58] He also describes an incident where Huerta criticized organizer Lorraine Agtang during a "Game" session, later "intimidat[ing] her" by "staking out her house at night for hours on end".

[59] According to one observer quoted by Garcia, Huerta regularly claimed that "infiltrators with revolutionary, radical ideology [were] urging armed struggle" to try to overthrow union leaders.

[50] In September 1988, she was beaten by a police officer at a protest against the George H. W. Bush administration at the St. Francis Hotel in Union Square, San Francisco.

[66] While Huerta was influenced by the women's liberation movement of the 1960s, including figures like Gloria Steinem, she initially dismissed feminist activism as a "middle-class phenomenon".

[68] Huerta personally opposed both abortion and contraception, both "cornerstones" of the women's liberation movement, and criticized union members for their perceived promiscuity.

[71] During her leave of absence from the UFW after the 1988 Union Square beating, she worked with the Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF), a nonprofit organization that advocates for reproductive health and women's equality.

[72] As part of their "Feminization of Power" campaign, she encouraged Latina women to run for office in an effort to increase their political visibility.

[76] She also served as an honorary co-chair of the 2017 Women's March in Washington, D.C. alongside Steinem and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte.

[79][80] According to Huerta, the DHF is "a continuation of the non-violent civil rights movement of the 1970s" and its goal is to "get people involved in their communities and participating in democracy".

These groups teach local residents how to collaborate, interact with government officials, and maneuver within complex political systems to benefit their communities.

As of 2016, Vecinos Unidos systems had been implemented in the rural California communities of Arvin, Cutler, Lamont, Orosi, Tulare, Weedpatch, and Woodlake.

[66] Vecinos Unidos organizations have raised "millions of dollars" for road and sidewalk repairs, sewer expansions, streetlight installations, and other infrastructure projects according to Camila in 2020.

[83] In 2016, the DHF was one of the plaintiffs in a suit against Kern High School District (KHSD), alleging that Black and Latino students were unfairly targeted for disciplinary actions.

[88] She served as a co-chair for South Dakota Senator George McGovern's California delegation at the 1972 Democratic National Convention (DNC) alongside politicians Willie Brown and John Burton.

[93] She alleged in a tweet that when she offered to translate for supporters of Clinton's rival, Bernie Sanders, during the Nevada caucus, they responded by chanting "English only!"

During the 2020 Democratic primaries, Huerta endorsed California Senator Kamala Harris, criticizing fellow candidate Joe Biden for discussing border crossings in a way that she felt was "just like the Republicans".

In an official statement made during the 1970s, the union publicly supported adding "sexual orientation" as a protected characteristic under California civil law.

[99]In 2005, Huerta campaigned alongside California Assemblyman Mark Leno to pass Assembly Bill 19, which would have legalized same-sex marriage in the state.

[106] She also condemned Trump's 2017 rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, calling it "a step above slavery" while criticizing him for his racially inflammatory rhetoric.

[117] In March 2019, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed a measure also designating April 10 each year as Dolores Huerta Day.