Elections expected to send more Latinos to Congress

WASHINGTON — Latino lawmakers in the U.S. House could increase by as much as 14% after the Nov. 4 congressional election, a bipartisan group of Latino elected officials said Tuesday.

The number of Latino House members has the potential to increase from 28 to 32, according to projections by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund in its annual report of "races to watch."

"In Election 2014, Latinos will continue their progress as leaders of their communities," the report says.

A total of 51 Latino candidates — 34 Democrats and 17 Republicans — are running for Congress in 16 states. Latinos make up about 17% of the U.S. population and are expected to grow to more than 30% by 2060.

West Virginia could make history by electing its first Latino member of Congress, said Arturo Vargas, executive director of the educational fund. Republican Alex Mooney, a Latino and former state senator from Maryland, is in a competitive race against Democrat Nick Casey for an open seat vacated by Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, who is running for Senate.

No additional Latinos are expected to be elected to the U.S. Senate, Vargas said. The three current Latino senators — Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla. — are not up for re-election this year.

Latinos are expected to represent about 7.8% of voters in the midterm elections next month, Vargas said, up from 6.6% in 2010.

Latinos also are expected to make gains in statehouses across the USA. The number of Latino lawmakers in the lower houses of state legislatures is projected to grow from 222 to 235. A total of 304 Latino candidates are running in 38 states, according to the report.

Rhode Island could elect the first Latina in a statewide race anywhere in New England, Vargas said. Democrat Nellie Gorbea, a Latina, is running against Republican John Carlevale for secretary of State.

"The geographic diversity of Latino candidates demonstrates that Latinos are mobilizing for political progress in both the traditional Latino populations centers and in regions with emerging Latino communities such as the Plains States, the Midwest, the Deep South, and New England," the report says.