The victory of Republican businessman Bernie Moreno in Ohio and Representative Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., would increase the number of Latinos in the Senate from five to seven, setting a new record.
Despite a minor decline in Hispanic representation in the House, from 48 to 45, the 119th Congress will still have a few additional historic Latino MPs.
Hispanic candidates successfully ran for congressional seats in 12 states in the 2024 election, hitting significant milestones in Arizona, Ohio, New Jersey, Washington, Colorado, and California, according to a recent analysis by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) evaluating Latino gains and losses in Congress.
The analysis found no significant change in the political makeup of the Latino senators. Four Democrats and three Republicans replaced the previous ratio of three Democrats and two Republicans. Similarly, the partisan makeup of Latino members of Congress changed from 13 Republicans and 35 Democrats to 36 Democrats and nine Republicans in the House.
In the U.S. Senate, incumbent Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, was re-elected, but incumbent Senators Alex Padilla, a Democrat from California; Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat from Nevada; Ben Ray Luj n, a Democrat from New Mexico; and Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, were not.
Gallego became the first Latino senator from Arizona after defeating Republican opponent Kari Lake. His victory is the fourth time in a row that Democrats have won that state’s Senate contest. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat who became an independent after serving one term, is replaced by him.
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, was ousted by Moreno, a Colombian immigrant who rose to prominence as an auto dealer in Cleveland. During a contentious primary, now-President-elect Donald Trump endorsed the Republican businessman. He will represent Ohio in the Senate, making him the first person of color and Latino.
In the event that Rubio is approved as Secretary of State, there will be just six Latino senators.
According to NALEO’s calculation, four Latino incumbents who were seeking reelection in the House lost their seats, while forty won. Among the incumbents who prevailed were Gil Cisneros and Luz Rivas, who will both take over for retiring California lawmakers.
The 27th Congressional District was won by Rivas, a member of the Democratic Assembly. Retired Representative Tony Cardenas, a Democrat from California, is leaving the position.Former Congresswoman Cisneros, a Democrat, will replace retiring Representative Grace Flores Napolitano, a Democrat from California, in the 31st Congressional District.
NALEO CEO Arturo Vargas noted in a statement that Latinos across ran for congressional seats in historic contests in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Despite a decline in Latino members in the U.S. House of Representatives, this election cycle saw historic performances by Latino candidates on both sides of the aisle.
In New Jersey, a week after the 87-year-old congressman passed away after a protracted hospital stay, Democratic state senator Nellie Pou was chosen to succeed him on the ballot. Pou became the first Latina to serve New Jersey in Congress after defeating Republican opponent Billy Prempe in the campaign for the state’s 9th Congressional District.
In a largely Hispanic district north of Denver, Latino GOP challenger Gabe Evans narrowly defeated freshman Representative Yadira Caraveo, D-Colo., by less than 1 percentage point. In 2022, Caraveo became the first Latina to serve as a state representative in Congress. However, according to NALEO, Evans will now become the first Latino Republican elected to a full term in the state’s Congress. After former Rep. Ken Buck resigned in March, Latino Rep. Greg Lopez, R-Colo., won a special election in June to serve out the remainder of his term. Lopez didn’t run for office for the entire tenure.
According to NALEO, former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, a Democrat, became the first Latino to represent a Northern California congressional district in over a century, and Democratic state senator Emily Randall became the first out queer Latina elected to represent Washington’s 6th Congressional District.
Beginning the following year, the 119th Congress will have 52 Latino members.
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