The U.S. Senate will see an increase in Latino representation next year, going from five to seven members of the Upper House. The milestone comes after the victories of Democrat Ruben Gallego in Arizona and Republican Bernie Moreno in Ohio during the 2024 elections, making them the first Latinos to represent their respective states in the Senate.
Democratic congressman Gallego, the son of immigrants from Mexico and Colombia, was raised in Chicago by a single mother and eventually accepted to Harvard University. He defeated Republican Kari Lake to mark the fourth consecutive Senate race won by Democrats in the state. Gallego will replace retiring independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema.
In Ohio, Bernie Moreno, a Colombian immigrant and Republican businessman, unseated Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown. Endorsed by President-elect Donald Trump, Moreno's victory makes him the first Latino and person of color to represent Ohio in the Senate.
"Latinos pursued congressional spots across the country in groundbreaking races in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives," said Arturo Vargas, CEO of NALEO Educational Fund, a non-profit organization that facilitates the full participation of Latinos in the American political process.
Incumbent Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was re-elected, while Latino senators Alex Padilla, D-Calif.; Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev.; Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M.; and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., were not up for re-election. However, if Rubio is confirmed as Secretary of State in the incoming Donald Trump administration, the Senate's Latino representation could drop back to six members as no frontrunners to succeed him are Latinos.
Despite the record numbers, Latino representation in the Senate remains disproportionately low compared to the nearly 20% of Latinos in the U.S. population.
The Latino senators' partisan balance shifted slightly, with the new composition being four Democrats and three Republicans, compared to the previous three-to-two split.
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