By Suzanne Gamboa - NBC News
New Mexico can add one more Latino to the Senate, raising the weight of that community to five (out of 100).
It can also allow another Latina to enter the House of Representatives, and could increase the number of Hispanics in state legislative chambers, according to an analysis by a Latino organization.
Democrat Bay Ray Luján has left his seat in the House of Representatives to run for the Senate, and he leads the polls against Republican Mark Ronchetti, a meteorologist who works in television.
The winner will replace Democratic Senator Tom Udall, who is about to retire.
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Democrat Teresa Leger Fernández could guarantee New Mexico an
all-female House delegation -
two Latinas and a Native American - if her leadership position in the polls is confirmed and she manages to beat Republican Alexis Johnson to replace Luján;
and if the Democratic representative Xochitl Torres Small defeats her Republican opponent, Yvette Herrel again.
Thus, the number of Latinos in Congress could rise from 39 to 45, according to an analysis by the Educational Fund of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO, for its acronym in English).
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The
new Latino faces
in Congress could also include Christina Hale, a Cuban-American Democrat who would become the first Hispanic representative from Indiana.
On the Republican side, Tony Gonzales is in a close race with Gina Ortiz Jones, who is of Filipino descent, in the 23rd congressional district.
Although there may be more Latinos among the 435 members of the House of Representatives,
Hispanics remain underrepresented
.
This community represents 18.5% of the population of the United States.
For representation in Congress to be proportional, the number of Hispanics in the Lower House would need to be more than double the current number.
"We are making progress," said Arturo Vargas, director of this organization, but criticized that the Senate continues to be "one of the least representative institutions when it comes to reflecting the constitution of the American population."
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At the state level, Hispanics seek representative positions in 36 states, according to NALEO analysis.
They include Anna Tovar, Mayor of Tolleson, Arizona, a Democrat who could win a seat on the Arizona Corporate Commission, which regulates non-municipal utilities and oversees business incorporations, securities, infrastructure, and rail and pipeline safety.
Texas could see the
largest potential increase in Latino legislators
in its lower house, reaching as many as seven, although several are in close races.
Democrats need to win nine seats in Texas to gain control of the state House of Representatives, and some Latinos are among the candidates who could win the job, including Natali Hurtado, who faces Republican State Representative Sam Harless in a district of the Houston area.
In Arizona, Democrats need to win two seats to gain control of the state House, which could put Latina Charlene Fernandez de Yuma as president.