By Nicole
Acevedo
Republican and Democratic Latinas running for Congress in more than five states could make history in these midterm elections.
At the same time, Latina legislators who have made history before are seeking to defend their seats.
The races come at a time when the political underrepresentation of Latinas persists at all levels of public office, according to a new report from the Center for American Women and Politics and Latinas Represent released Wednesday.
Despite making up about 9.3% of the US population,
Latinas make up less than 3% of elected officials
for state executive positions, state legislatures, and Congress.
Andrea Salinas, Yesli Vega, Catalina Lauf and Yadira Caraveo.USA Today/AP/Getty Images
In many districts, Latina candidates will be decisive in determining the balance of power between Democrats and Republicans in Congress.
Colorado
Democratic state Rep. Yadira Caraveo could become the first Latina from Colorado to be elected to Congress if she wins the race to represent the newly created 8th Congressional District north of Denver.
Pediatrician and Colorado State Senator Yadira Caraveo at her Thornton home on Aug. 17.
Melina Mara / The Washington Post via Getty Images Archive
Caraveo,
a pediatrician who is the daughter of Mexican immigrants,
was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in 2018. During her time in the state house, she has focused on health care policy, voting and reproductive rights, among other issues, depending on your campaign website.
The new district has the highest percentage of Hispanics in the state, at 39%.
Caraveo is facing Republican state senator Barbara Kirkmeyer.
Illinois
In Illinois, two candidates are seeking to make history as the state's first Latina congresswoman: Democratic state Rep. Delia Ramírez in the state's 3rd Congressional District and Republican newcomer Catalina Lauf in the 11th Congressional District.
State Rep. Delia Ramírez in Springfield, Ill., May 2020. Ted Schurter / The State Journal-Register via AP
Ramírez became
the first Guatemalan American elected to the Illinois General Assembly
in 2018.
Since becoming a state representative, she has worked to pass legislation expanding Medicaid coverage for seniors, securing funding to build affordable housing, protecting abortion rights and creating an elected school board in Chicago, according to the Chicago website. your campaign.
She is facing Republican Justin Burau.
Lauf is seeking to unseat Democratic Rep. Bill Foster, in a race currently rated "probably Democratic" by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report website.
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Lauf, the daughter of a Guatemalan immigrant, was appointed by the Trump Administration in 2018 as a special adviser to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, according to the Republican National Congressional Committee.
If she wins, Lauf, 29, would be one of the youngest women ever elected to Congress.
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The youngest woman ever elected to Congress is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, who was also 29 when she was elected in 2018. She is now running for re-election.
Oregon
In Oregon, two candidates are seeking to become the state's first Latina congresswoman: Democratic state Rep. Andrea Salinas and Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the former mayor of Happy Valley.
Oregon State Representative Andrea Salinas at a rally in Salem on November 16. Abigail Dollins/USA Today
Salinas is leading the state's 6th Congressional District in a close race for Democrats, according to the Cook Political Report.
Salinas, whose Mexican-born father served in Vietnam and later became a police officer, joined the state Legislature in 2017.
During his time in office, he has worked to increase access to affordable health care as well as paid family and medical leave and worked to ensure the state had an accurate 2020 census count, according to his biography.
He is up against Republican businessman Mike Erickson.
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Chavez-DeRemer is running for a seat in the 5th Congressional District in another close race for Democrats in Oregon.
She became
the first Latina and first female mayor of the City of Happy Valley
in 2010 and was re-elected in 2014.
Prior to that, Chavez-DeRemer served on the Happy Valley Parks Committee and the Happy Valley City Council.
Throughout his campaign, he has focused on economic, security and law enforcement issues, among others, according to his website.
He is facing Democrat Jamie McLeod-Skinner.
Virginia
Republican Yesli Vega could be the first Latina to represent Virginia in Congress, according to the Center for American Women and Politics.
Yesli Vega in Dale City, Virginia, on September 17.
Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via AP File
Vega is seeking to unseat Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger in a race called "leaning Democratic" by the Cook Political Report.
The daughter of Salvadoran immigrants, Vega has had a long career in law enforcement and was elected to the Prince William County Board of Supervisors in 2019.
During his time there, Vega fought against gun control measures and increased property taxes and supported preserving the agreement that allows local police to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the website. of your campaign.
Florida
Democratic state Sen. Annette Taddeo is facing Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar in a race the Cook Political Report called "leaning Republican" to represent the 27th congressional district, which includes parts of Miami.
Annette Taddeo, left, and representative María Elvira Salazar.AP
Born in Colombia, Taddeo was the
first Latina Democrat elected to the Florida State Senate
in 2017 and is now seeking to become the first Jewish Latina in Congress, Jewish Insider reported.
She champions "democratic values" such as affordable health care, living wages, and abortion and reproductive rights, according to her campaign website.
He also touts his support for a hard-line stance with leftist or socialist governments, often speaking about his father's kidnapping by FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) guerrilla rebels.
Taddeo has also served as chair of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party and has been appointed to leadership positions within the Democratic National Committee.
Salazar, a journalist and former television host of Cuban descent, was among a handful of Republicans in 2020 who were able to flip seats Democrats had won in 2018.
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According to her biography, Salazar has been “committed to acting tirelessly in defense of individual rights and freedoms, spearheading economic development and job training efforts, and promoting environmental resilience in her community.”
Salazar, who like Taddeo touts his hard-line stance against leftist and socialist governments, is anti-abortion and received a 100% rating from the National Committee for the Right to Life during his 2021-22 term.
A fight to change traditional seats and protect historic victories
Rep. Mayra Flores made history this summer when she became
the first Republican Latina elected to Congress from Texas and the first Mexican-born congresswoman
, after winning a special election to replace incumbent Democratic Rep. Filemón Vela, who resigned in March.
Rep. Mayra Flores, R-Texas, at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas on August 5.
LM Otero / AP
Flores will be on the ballot again in November to defend her newly won seat representing Texas's 34th Congressional District.
She touts her anti-abortion and anti-gun control stances, as well as her support for former President Donald Trump, who publicly endorsed Flores and other Latina Republicans at a recent rally in South Texas.
She is up against another House incumbent, Democratic Rep. Vicente González, who is also Mexican-American.
Several other Republican Latinas are running as part of efforts by Texas Republicans to send more Latinas to Congress.
Among them are Jenny García Sharon in the 37th Congressional District and Carmen María Montiel in the 18th District.
Texas
Republicans Monica De La Cruz and Cassy Garcia are among the Latinas who could flip seats held by Democrats in South Texas.
De La Cruz faces Democrat Michelle Vallejo to represent the 15th District in a race rated "probably Republican" by the Cook Political Report, while Garcia faces slightly tougher odds against Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar in the 28th District.
Monica De La Cruz and Cassy Garcia.AP
The push to send more Republican Latinas from Texas to Congress came after Democratic Reps. Veronica Escobar and Sylvia Garcia made history in 2018 as the first Latinas elected to the Texas House.
Michelle Vallejo, the Democratic candidate in Texas's 15th Congressional District, in McAllen on October 13. Joel Martinez/The Monitor via AP File
Escobar and Garcia are now running for re-election.
Of the two, Escobar turns out to be the only one facing another Latina, Republican candidate Irene Armendáriz-Jackson, to represent Texas's 16th District.
New Mexico
Democratic Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández made history in 2020 when she became the first Latina elected to represent New Mexico's historically Democratic 3rd Congressional District.
Fernandez now faces the same opponent, Latina Republican Alexis Martinez Johnson, in a race the Cook Political Report called "probably Democratic."
Republican Michelle Garcia Holmes is another Latina in New Mexico seeking to change a seat held by Democrats in the state.
Her goal is to unseat Democratic Rep. Melanie Ann Stansbury in the first district.
Snowfall
Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto made history as the first Latina elected to the United States Senate and the first woman elected to the Nevada Senate.
In a race that could determine control of the Senate, Cortez Masto is running against Republican Adam Laxalt in a race the Cook Political Report has called "close."
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, in Las Vegas on Oct. 16. File by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Cortez Masto, the former state attorney general, is focusing on his support for abortion rights and the fight against inflation and economic problems, while emphasizing that Laxalt tried to nullify Biden's victory in the state by promoting the lie that the 2020 elections were “rigged”.
New York
Republican Representative Nicole Malliotakis, half Cuban and half Greek, is currently the only Hispanic Republican elected official in New York City.
She was the first Cuban-American woman elected to office in New York State, as well as the first person of Hispanic descent elected from Staten Island.
Malliotakis is seeking to keep his seat in District 11, which also covers parts of Brooklyn, and is touting his views on fighting inflation and other economic problems.
He faces a rematch against Max Rose, the Democrat he ousted from the seat in 2020.