The Latino and Hispanic American presence in the US Congress is set to grow following the 2024 elections. With three candidates elected to the Senate—including two Colombian Americans—and six to the House of Representatives, the total number of Latino and Hispanic members of congress will increase from 56 to 61 in the 119th Congress. This includes six Senators and 55 House members, with 42 Democrats and 19 Republicans.
Notably, the 119th Congress features a record number of Colombian-American representatives, with Bernie Moreno and Ruben Gallego serving in the Senate and Scott Perry in the House.
Two Colombian-Americans elected to US Senate in the 2024 elections
During the 2024 US elections, two Colombian-Americans were elected to the US Senate:
- Bernie Moreno, Senator for Ohio, became the first U.S. senator born in Colombia. Born in Bogotá to Colombian parents, Moreno, a Republican, defeated incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown.
- Ruben Gallego, Senator for Arizona, narrowly defeated Republican Kari Lake. Gallego, a Democrat, is of mixed Mexican and Colombian heritage and previously served as the U.S. representative for Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District.
Additionally, Ted Cruz, the Republican senator from Texas, won re-election, defeating Democrat Colin Allred with 53.1% of the vote to Allred’s 44.5%. Cruz, the son of Cuban immigrant Rafael Cruz, continues his tenure in the Senate.
Other Latinos in the US Senate
These elections bring the total number of Hispanic members in the U.S. Senate to six for the 119th Congress: two Republicans and four Democrats. In addition to Moreno, Gallego and Cruz, other Hispanic senators include:
- Alex Padilla (D-California), the son of Mexican immigrants from Jalisco and Chihuahua.
- Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nevada), whose father is of Mexican descent.
- Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico), who is of Mexican ancestry.
Marco Rubio (R-Florida) recent nomination as U.S. secretary of State will force him to resign his position. Gov. Ron de Santis will pick his successor.
Six Hispanic and Latino Americans elected to US House of Representatives
In the 2024 elections, six Hispanic and Latino Americans were elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. This includes five Democrats and one Republican:
Democrat Representatives:
- Gil Cisneros (California’s 31st Congressional District): Of Mexican ancestry, Cisneros was elected to succeed Grace Napolitano (née Flores), a historic figure in Congress.
- Sam Liccardo (California’s 18th Congressional District): Of Mexican ancestry, Liccardo brings his leadership experience to the House.
- Luz Rivas (California’s 29th Congressional District): Rivas, of Mexican ancestry, continues her focus on education and technology.
- Emily Randall (Washington’s 6th Congressional District): Randall, also of Mexican ancestry, joins as a representative from the Pacific Northwest.
- Nellie Pou (New Jersey’s 8th Congressional District): Of Puerto Rican descent, Pou is the first Hispanic woman elected to represent New Jersey in Congress.
Republican Representative
- Gabe Evans (Colorado’s 8th Congressional District): Of Mexican heritage, Evans was the sole Republican of Hispanic background elected to the House in 2024.
Latinos and Hispanic representatives of the House
Fifty-one representatives of Hispanic and Latino heritage are currently serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.
During the 119th Congress, 54 Hispanic and Latino representatives will serve. In addition to the six newly elected representatives, 49 incumbents will continue to serve in the 119th Congress. Of these, 33 are Democrats, and 16 are Republicans:
Arizona
- Raul Grijalva (D) – Mexican ancestry
- Juan Ciscomani (R) – Mexican ancestry
California
- Linda Sanchez (D) – Mexican ancestry
- John Garamendi (D) – Spanish ancestry
- Raul Ruiz (D) – Mexican ancestry
- Juan Vargas (D) – Mexican ancestry
- Pete Aguilar (D) – Mexican ancestry
- Norma Torres (D) – Guatemalan ancestry
- Nanette Barragan (D) – Mexican ancestry
- Salud Carbajal (D) – Mexican ancestry
- Lou Correa (D) – Mexican ancestry
- Jimmy Gomez (D) – Mexican ancestry
- Mike Levin (D) – Mexican ancestry
- Robert Garcia (D) – Peruvian ancestry
- Mike Garcia (R) – Mexican ancestry
- John Duarte (R) – Portuguese ancestry
Colorado
- Yadira Caraveo (D) – Mexican ancestry
- Greg Lopez (R) – Mexican ancestry
Florida
- Darren Soto (D) – Puerto Rican ancestry
- Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D) – Cuban (adopted) with Argentinian ancestry
- Mario Diaz-Balart (R) – Cuban ancestry
- Brian Mast (R) – Mexican ancestry
- Carlos Gimenez (R) – Cuban ancestry
- Maria Elvira Salazar (R) – Cuban ancestry
- Anna Paulina Luna (R) – Mexican ancestry
Illinois
- Chuy Garcia (D) – Mexican ancestry
- Sylvia Garcia (D) – Mexican ancestry
- Delia Ramirez (D) – Guatemalan ancestry
New Jersey
- Rob Menendez (D) – Cuban ancestry
New Mexico
- Teresa Leger Fernandez (D) – Mexican ancestry
- Gabe Vasquez (D) – Mexican ancestry
New York
- Nydia Velazquez (D) – Puerto Rican ancestry
- Adriano Espaillat (D) – Dominican ancestry
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) – Puerto Rican ancestry
- Ritchie Torres (D) – Puerto Rican ancestry
- Nicole Malliotakis (R) – Cuban ancestry
- Anthony D’Esposito (R) – Puerto Rican ancestry
Oregon
- Andrea Salinas (D) – Mexican ancestry
- Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R) – Mexican ancestry
Pennsylvania
- Scott Perry (R) – Colombian ancestry
Texas
- Henry Cuellar (D) – Mexican ancestry
- Joaquin Castro (D) – Mexican ancestry
- Veronica Escobar (D) – Mexican ancestry
- Greg Casar (D) – Mexican ancestry
- Tony Gonzales (R) – Mexican ancestry
- Monica De La Cruz (R) – Mexican ancestry
Washington
- Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D) – Mexican ancestry
West Virginia
- Alex Mooney (R) – Cuban ancestry
Seating House Representatives Grace Napolitano (California, Mexican ancestry) and Tony Cardenas (California, Mexican ancestry) will conclude their terms on Jan. 3, as they did not seek reelection. Additionally, House Representative from Arizona Ruben Gallego will move to the U.S. Senate.
Latino Vote in the 2024 US Presidential Election
Historically, the Latino vote has leaned Democratic, with the Republican share typically ranging between 20% and 30%. In 2024, Trump received 46% of the Latino vote, breaking the record set by George W. Bush, who garnered 44% of the Latino vote in 2004.
While surprising to some, the shift among Latino voters toward Trump and the GOP had been anticipated by several political analysts. In an interview with Colombia One, Abraham Enriquez, president of Bienvenido US, an organization focused on mobilizing Hispanics, noted that Latinos have increasingly aligned with Trump in recent years.