PHOENIX — There was plenty of grim news for Latinos in Tuesday’s election results: three Latino congressmen were voted out, the odds of an immigration overhaul appeared to diminish and — here in the state that gave rise to the strictest immigration measure of all — hardliners were re-elected amid vows to continue cracking down on illegal immigrants.
But 2010 also signifies a milestone of sorts for Latinos, the country’s largest minority: their overwhelming support for Democrats in the midterm elections is credited with helping to keep the Senate Democratic. And Latinos won an unprecedented voice in the Republican Party with the election of more Latino Republicans than ever before — sometimes without the support of Latino voters, who tend to put issues before ethnicity.
“The vote showed that Latinos are a force to be reckoned with in both parties,” said Clarissa Martinez de Castro, director of immigration and national campaigns at the National Council of La Raza.
Latino advocates are hoping that this growing electoral clout will spur action by President Obama and Congress to address Latino concerns. Republicans, meanwhile, are sifting the midterm results to find a strategy to attract more Latino voters to go along with their new Latino candidates.
The results were history-making on many fronts: Susana Martinez of New Mexico will be the nation’s first Latina governor, Raul Labrador will be the first Latino to represent Idaho in the House, and Jaime Herrera will be the first Latina congresswoman from Washington State. In Nevada, Brian Sandoval will become that state’s first Hispanic governor. All are Republicans.
Full Story: Latinos Reached Milestones in Midterm Races – NYTimes.com