Battleground States

Without the Latino vote, the Senate would be led by Mitch McConnell (again!) and would have a hearty majority. Senate races in Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado may have very well gone the other way had it not been for Latinos phone banking, door knocking, and getting down to the polls. So, instead of a 50-49 Democratic-led Senate, just those three states flipping would have made it 52-47 Republicans, a commanding five seat advantage.

The House

Latino voters remained solidly Democratic in 2022 with 64% reporting they voted for a Democratic House candidate and making shouts of a red wave premature and ridiculous.

Governor’s races

Democratic support among Latinos in the critical swing states of Michigan (74%), Pennsylvania (73%) and Colorado (71%) proved vital in both Senate and governor’s races. Reminder: Michigan and Pennsylvania each had election deniers running for governor. Latinos helped block them.

Don’t run off before the Georgia run off

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The work isn’t done yet. The run off for the final Senate seat will take place in Georgia on December 6th and Latinos could once again become the tipping point on whether Raphael Warnock retains his seat or Herschel Walker flips it.

New (and old) Latino political stars

Catherine Cortez Masto, the first Latina elected to the Senate in 2016, was nearly defeated this year. She beat her opponent by less than 1% of the vote and has her Latino brethren to thank for her victory. Latinos made up 20% of Nevada’s electorate and 63% of them voted for Cortez Masto.

Here are some other newly elected Latinos who broke down barriers.

•  Alex Padilla became the first elected Latino senator from California.
• Yadira Caraveo is the first Latina ever elected to Congress from Colorado, in the state’s new 8th Congressional District just north of Denver.
• Democrat Delia Ramirez – the daughter of Guatemalan immigrants — is the first Latina elected to Congress from Illinois, winning the state’s redrawn 3rd Congressional District.
• Cisco Aguilar became the first Latino elected secretary of state in Nevada. This is especially significant as Aguilar defeated Jim Marchant, one of America’s most strident election deniers.
• Marie Gluesenkamp Perez became the first Latino Democrat elected to Congress from Washington state. Gluesenkamp Perez, an auto repair shop owner, will replace Jaime Herrera Beutler – Washington state’s first Hispanic member of Congress.
• San Mateo County elected the first ever Latina to the Board of Supervisors, Noelia Corzo. “We knew it would be an uphill battle, we took on the establishment, we ran a people-powered campaign and won,” said Corzo. “Our campaign was about bringing people together and it was about representation. We’re celebrating right now.”

“The lack of diversity on the [school] board is absolutely one of the reasons I ran,” -Noelia Corzo, the first Latina elected to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors

The elephant in the room

If Donald Trump is on the ballot in 2024, Latinos will again be a major factor. 59% believe that the former president “will promote hate and division.” Meanwhile, Latinos will again promote democracy and inclusion.