Latinos Set to Make History as Candidates and Voters on Election Night

PRESS RELEASE

Analysis of races reveal potential increase of 4 Latinos in U.S. House of Representatives, which would make the class of Latinos in the 114th Congress the largestNALEO-Logo in history; 

More than 7.8 million Latino voters are expected to cast ballots this year, up 1.2 million from the 2010 midterm elections

 

Washington, D.C. – Two weeks before Election Day, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund briefed media and partners on the crucial impact Latino voters and candidates will have on the outcome of Election 2014.  The event took place on Tuesday, October 21, 2014 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.  Video of the event, as well as briefing materials are available at http://www.naleo.org/racestowatch/.

“Latinos will play a key role in shaping the nation’s political landscape in two weeks,” stated Arturo Vargas, executive director of NALEO Educational Fund. “Latinos are poised to demonstrate their power as both voters and candidates on Election Day, with Latino candidates likely to make history as the largest class of Latinos in the 114th Congress.”

Latinos in Congress: With Latinos on both sides of the aisle running in some of the most competitive Congressional races this year, Latino candidates are set to play a pivotal role in Election 2014. According to NALEO Educational Fund, the number of Latinos serving in the U.S. House of Representatives could increase by four, which would make the class of Latinos in the 114th Congress the largest in history.  This increase would bring the number of Latinos serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from 28 to 32. Latino candidates for U.S. Representative who have good prospects of winning their contests include the following individuals:

Ariz.: Former Arizona State Representative Ruben Gallego (D) is running unopposed for the 7th Congressional District seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor (D).

Calif.: State Senator Norma Torres (D) is also likely to win her race against small business owner Christina Gagnier (D) in the 35th Congressional District, for the seat that is currently held by U.S. Rep. Gloria Negrete McLeod (D) – Negrete McLeod is pursuing a seat on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.

Calif: Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar (D) also has good chances in his race against small business owner Paul Chabot (R) in the 31st Congressional District, being left vacant by retiring U.S. Rep. Gary Miller (R).

Calif: Latinos with more competitive races include former U.S. Senate staffer Amanda Renteria (D) who is trying to unseat incumbent David Valadao (R) in California’s 21st Congressional District.

N.H.: In the state’s 2nd Congressional District, State Rep. Marilinda Garcia (R) is facing a tough but competitive contest in her bid to unseat incumbent Ann McLane Kuster (D).

  1. Va.: The state could see its first Latino U.S. Representative in the 2nd Congressional District, if former Maryland State Senator Alex Mooney (R) prevails in his open seat contest against small business professional Nick Casey (D), for the seat being vacated by incumbent U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R), who is running for U.S. Senate.

Latinos in Statewide Executive Office: At the state level, nineteen Latino candidates are pursuing statewide positions across the nation, including in “nontraditional” states like Rhode Island and Wyoming. Latino Governors Susana Martinez (R-N.M.) and Brian Sandoval (R-Nev.) face good prospects of re-election. Several gubernatorial contenders have chosen Latinos as their running mates, demonstrating the value of Latinos as strong candidates who can also attract support from the Latino community. Key statewide executive races featuring Latino candidates include the following:

N.M.: Incumbent Lt. Governor John Sanchez (R), the running mate of Susana Martinez (R), is likely to be re-elected.

Fla.: In one of the most competitive gubernatorial races of the nation, incumbent Lt. Governor Carlos Lopez-Cantera (R), the state’s first Latino Lt. Governor, is running with Governor Rick Scott (R), and Miami business owner Annette Taddeo (D) is running with former Governor Charlie Crist (D). If elected, Ms. Taddeo would be the first Latina to serve as the state’s Lt. Governor.

Colo.: Incumbent Lt. Governor Joe Garcia (D) is running for re-election on a slate with Governor John Hickenlooper (D). Governor Hickenlooper is being challenged by a ticket headed by former U.S Rep. Bob Beauprez (R) and his running mate Jill Repella (R).

Two Latina contenders for Lt. Governor are running in states where candidates for those positions do not run on slates.

Nev.: State Assemblymember Lucy Flores (D) is facing State Senator Mark Hutchison (R).

Texas: State Senator Leticia Van de Putte (D) is facing State Senator Dan Patrick (R).*

*Additional races can be found in the 2014 Races to Watch: The Power of Latino Candidates document available here and on NALEO Educational Fund’s website at www.naleo.org.

Latinos in State Senate: The number of Latinos in State Senates is likely to remain at 73 after Election 2014, with modest losses in two states (Mo. and Texas) being offset by modest gains (Ariz. and Hawaii) elsewhere. In Texas, the loss would occur if State Senator Leticia Van de Putte (D) wins her bid for Lt. Governor. If she prevails, a special election would be held to fill the seat she vacated, and there is a good chance a Latino would be elected to that position. A full breakdown of Latino electoral gains for each state can be found here.

Latinos in state lower houses: In state lower houses, there could be an increase in the total number of Latinos from 222 to 235. This growth would occur in part from modest net gains in states which are traditional Latino population centers, such as Calif., Fla., N.Y. and Texas.  However, the greater share of gains is likely to occur in states which have emerging Latino communities, such as Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., and Nev. A full breakdown of Latino electoral gains for each state can be found here.

According to NALEO Educational Fund, more than 7.8 million Latino voters are expected to cast ballots this November, up 1.2 million from the 2010 midterm elections.  With several extremely competitive races likely to be decided by slim margins this year, the Latino electorate is poised to play a critical role in the outcome of contests at the gubernatorial, U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives level.  Examples include the following:

Ariz.: Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Doug Ducey is facing Fred Duval (D).  Latino registered voters comprise 16 percent of the electorate.  The last election was decided by only 12 percentage points.

Fla.: Incumbent Governor Rick Scott (R) is facing Charlie Crist (D). Latinos account for 15 percent of all registered voters, with the last contest being decided by only 1 percent.

Ill.: Current Democratic Governor Pat Quinn is running against Bruce Rauner (R). The margin of victory in the last contest was 1 percent, with Latinos accounting for 8 percent of registered voters this year.

Colo.: Current U.S. Senator is running against Republican Challenger Cory Gardner. Latinos comprise 10 percent of the state’s registered voters, with the last race decided by 11 percentage points.*

A full list of other contests can be found in NALEO Educational Fund’s Impact of the Latino Vote in Key Competitive Races in Election 2014 analysis available here and at www.naleo.org

Following the release of this new analysis, Latino leaders were on hand at the National Press Club for an in-depth panel discussion on the impact of Latino voters and candidates this election year.  Panel participants included Latino Victory Project President Cristóbal Alex, The LIBRE Initiative Executive Director Daniel Garza, The Wise Latina Club Founder Dr. Viviana Hurtado and NALEO Educational Fund Executive Director Arturo Vargas.

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NALEO Educational Fund is the nation’s leading non-profit organization that facilitates the full participation of Latinos in the American political process, from citizenship to public service.

[Photo by Wendy Piersall/Flickr]

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