Latinos won seats in U.S. Congress on both sides of the aisle

Latino representation in the United States Congress became increasingly stronger with the election and reelection of Latino congressional members this year. ADN America has assembled a list of the three Cuban Americans, three Mexican-Americans and Colombian-American who will serve in the to the United States Congress. 

Democrats

Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat was elected eight years ago and maintains his seat in New York's 13th Congressional District. His district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the northwest Bronx.

From 1997 to 2010 Espaillat served as a member of the New York State Assembly, and then became the first Dominican to be elected to the United States Congress.

Serving in Illinois' 4th Congressional District is Democratic Rep. Jesús G. “Chuy” García, who retained his position after being sworn in for the first time in 2019 during the 116th Congress.

García, 68, was born in Mexico and immigrated to Chicago in 1965 where he studied political science. He became a United States citizen in 1977.

Democratic Rep. Joaquín Castro, also of Mexican origin, once again won a seat in Congress, serving as a member for the 20th Congressional District of Texas, a position in which he began in 2013.

His official website says biography that his grandmother Victoria Castro arrived in Texas as a young orphan and that, pursuing the American dream, she used to work two or three jobs at a time to be able to provide for her daughter Rosie - Joaquín's mother - and her grandchildren. better opportunities in life.

Democratic Rep. Raúl Manuel Grijalva maintained his position as a member of the United States House for Arizona's 7th Congressional District, and since 2013 for the 3rd district.

His father was a Mexican migrant who entered the United States in 1945 through the Bracero Program and worked in southern Arizona. The Bracero Program was a legal access program for foreign workers for agricultural issues - mainly for Mexicans - initiated on Aug. 4, 1942, which made a series of laws and diplomatic agreements into force when the United States signed the Mexican Agricultural Labor Agreement with Mexico.

Republicans

Republican Senator-elect Bernie Moreno was elected in 2024 to the United States Senate from Ohio. The race between Moreno and Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who has held the office for years, was the most expensive of this election cycle, spending approximately $400 million.

This Republican victory in Ohio has a significant impact on the fight for control of Congress, with Democrats winning the House of Representatives and Republicans taking the Senate.

Moreno was born in Bogotá, Colombia. His father, Bernardo Moreno Mejía, was a doctor and held high positions in the Colombian government. His family moved to Florida when he was only five years old.

Three Cuban Americans have overwhelmingly won reelection to the United States Congress: Reps. María Elvira Salazar, Mario Díaz-Balart and Carlos Giménez.

Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar won the race for District 27 with 59% of the votes. Her District is entirely within Miami-Dade County and includes parts of Miami south of the Dolphin Expressway, downtown Miami and Little Havana, Coral Gables and Kendall.

Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, Republican candidate for District 26, was re-elected with 70.6% of the votes. His District covers parts of Miami, Doral, Hialeah and Miami Lakes, and extends into Collier County. He is the longest-serving member of Florida's Congressional delegation.

For his part, Rep. Carlos Giménez achieved victory for the Republicans in District 28 by obtaining 64.4% of the votes. His District covers parts of southern Miami Dade County and Monroe County.