40 Latinos in Congress, 3 races still undecided

WASHINGTON — The number of Latinos serving in Congress will rise to at least 40 in the new year, and that figure most likely will increase when three undecided races are called.

Thirty-two out of 44 Latino Democratic candidates won election in Tuesday’s contests, while six out of 15 Latino Republican candidates claimed victory.

The 57 million Latinos who live in the United States are the nation’s largest ethnic or racial minority and constitute 18 percent of the total population. However, their political impact is substantially diluted due to their low electoral turnout. NALEO Educational Fund, a prominent nonpartisan Latino organization, said that only 6.8 million Latinos voted in the 2014 mid-term election.

Democratic winners included Alexandria OcasioCortez of New York; Veronica Escobar and Sylvia Garcia of Texas; and Debbie MucarselPowell of Florida, who will be the first Ecuadorean to have a seat in the House of Representatives.