Latino Elected Officials in America
Latino candidates continue to reshape the nation’s political landscape, emerging victorious in contests at all levels of office and in both political parties.
According to research on Latino representation conducted for the 2017 NALEO Directory of Latino Elected Officials, nearly 6,600 Latinos are serving in elected office nationwide.* This is up from the 6,011 Latino elected officials who held office in 2013, an increase of nearly 10 percent. The four states with the largest number of Latino elected officials are Texas, California, New Mexico and Arizona.
2017 also marked another year of steady growth in the number of Latina elected officials serving in office. NALEO Educational Fund found 2,401 Latinas serving in elected office, comprising 36 percent of the total number of Latino elected officials nationwide. This number marks a 17 percent increase from 2013, when only 2,052 Latinas were serving in an elected official capacity.
* The foregoing data pertain to Latino elected officials who held office as of November 2017 (for Members of Congress and State Legislators) or as of January 2017 (for all other elected officials).
Latinos Serving in the 115th Congress
Latino candidates made historic gains in Election 2016, including electing Catherine Cortez Masto as the nation’s first Latina U.S. Senator, a significant milestone for the Latino community in Nevada and nationwide. U.S. Senator Cortez Masto joins Latino U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Marco Rubio (R-FL) in the 115th Congress.
In the U.S. House of Representatives, Latino representation increased by five in the 115th Congress, bringing the total number of Latinos currently serving in the House to 34. Comprising the largest class of Latinos serving in the U.S. House of Representatives in history, the 115th Congress includes seven new Latino Members of Congress.
The 115th Congress features a change in partisan composition among Latinos in the U.S. House of Representatives, shifting from 22 Democrats and seven Republicans in the 114th Congress to 27 Democrats and seven Republicans.
* A full roster of Latinos serving in the 115th Congress is available here.
The new Latino Members of Congress include:
Salud Carbajal
(D-CA-24)
Nanette Diaz Barragan
(D-CA-44)
Lou Correa
(D-CA-46
Darren Soto
(D-FL-9)
The first Puerto Rican to represent FL in the U.S. of Representatives.
Ruben Kihuen
(D-NV-4)
The first Latino to represent NV in the U.S. House of Representatives
Adriano Espaillat
(D-CA-46)
The first Dominican-American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Vicente Gonzalez
(D-TX-15)
Latinos in Statewide Executive Office
12 Latinos currently serve in statewide executive office, including several Latinos who are making history. These individuals include:
Delaware Insurance Commissioner
Trinidad Navarro (D)
Illinois State Comptroller
Susana Mendoza (D)
*A full roster of Latinos serving in statewide office is available here.
Latinos in State Legislatures
The number of Latinos in state legislatures reached a new record. As of November 2017, there are 321 Latinos serving in the state legislatures of 38 states, with 77 serving in State Senates and 244 serving in state lower houses.
Latinos serving in State Senates include 66 Democrats and 11 Republicans – both Democrats and Republicans added two Latino State senators. Shifts in geographic representation as a result of Election 2016 include Latino gains in Arizona, the largest of all states with a net gain of three Latino state senators, Florida (1), Illinois (1), Nebraska (1) and West Virginia (1).
In state lower houses, there are 194 Latino Democrats and 50 Republicans serving in elected office.
Latinos in State Legislatures
The number of Latinos in state legislatures reached a new record. As of November 2017, there are 321 Latinos serving in the state legislatures of 38 states, with 77 serving in State Senates and 244 serving in state lower houses.
Latinos serving in State Senates include 66 Democrats and 11 Republicans – both Democrats and Republicans added two Latino State senators. Shifts in geographic representation as a result of Election 2016 include Latino gains in Arizona, the largest of all states with a net gain of three Latino state senators, Florida (1), Illinois (1), Nebraska (1) and West Virginia (1).
In state lower houses, there are 194 Latino Democrats and 50 Republicans serving in elected office.
*A state-by-state breakdown of Latinos serving in state legislatures nationwide is available here.