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Latino Voters Elect the Largest Congressional Hispanic Caucus in History

November 4, 2026

CVV News

Washington, D.C. — Latino voters made history last night, electing the largest Congressional Hispanic Caucus ever. With 12 new Members-elect so far, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus will grow to 55 Members in the 120th Congress, the largest in the caucus’s 50-year history. The previous record of 43 Members was set in the 119th Congress. That includes flipping eight Republican held seats and winning all Republican redistricted maps.

Leading the charge was CHC BOLD PAC, the campaign arm led by Democratic Latino Members of Congress themselves, who built this caucus by recruiting and investing in the next generation of Latino leaders. This cycle, BOLD PAC raised over $18 million and invested more than $6 million in independent expenditures to help Latino Members and candidates win in the toughest districts in the country.

Latino voters delivered this historic caucus. Early results show 6 in 10 Hispanic voters backed Democratic House candidates, according to the AP Voter Poll, and Republicans watched their 2024 gains with Latino voters disappear overnight. Latino candidates flipped eight Republican-held seats from Omaha to the Central Valley to South Texas, and won two more in Republican-drawn Texas districts, helping Democrats take back the House. With some races still too close to call, the Caucus could grow even larger.

“Republicans thought they could take Latino voters for granted. Last night, our communities sent them a message they won’t forget, and they sent the largest Hispanic Caucus in history to Washington. Fifty years, fifty-five Members strong, and we’re just getting started,” said CHC BOLD PAC Chairwoman Linda Sánchez. “BOLD PAC has said since day one: Latino voters are swing voters, and they decide majorities. That’s why BOLD PAC recruited Latino candidates and built campaigns in the toughest districts in the country. Our candidates know what it costs to fill a grocery cart and a gas tank, and to keep a roof over your family’s head. Now they’re headed to Congress, and they’re bringing our communities with them.”

Historic Firsts and Historic Wins:

• JoAnna Mendoza (AZ-06): First woman Marine veteran elected to Congress. Flipped AZ-06 blue.
• Randy Villegas (CA-22): First Latino to represent California’s 22nd District. Flipped CA-22 blue.
• Hilda Solis (CA-38): Next Mexican American elected to represent this district.
• Manny Rutinel (CO-08): First Dominican American elected to Congress from Colorado. Flipped CO-08 blue.
• Patty Garcia (IL-04): Next Mexican American elected to represent this district.
• Denise Powell (NE-02): First Latina elected to represent Nebraska at the federal level. Flipped NE-02 blue.
• Leticia Gutierrez (TX-09): First Latina to represent Texas’ 9th District. Won a Republican-drawn seat.
• Teresa Benitez-Thompson (NV-02): First Democrat ever to represent Nevada’s 2nd District, a double-digit Trump seat. Flipped NV-02 blue.
• Katy Padilla Stout (TX-23): Flipped TX-23 blue for the first time since 2012.
• Bobby Pulido (TX-15): Flipped TX-15 blue, a breakthrough for South Texas.
• Johnny Garcia (TX-35): Won a Republican-drawn seat and gives Texas a new voice in Congress.
• Richard Ojeda (NC-09): First Mexican American elected to represent North Carolina at the federal level. Flipped NC-09 blue and ousted the chair of the NRCC.

Latino voters are true swing voters. While others wrote our communities off after 2024, BOLD PAC went to work. We launched RUIDO, a first-of-its-kind Latino creator program, to reach Latino voters early and meet them where they already are: on their phones, at the carne asada, at the watch party. From hosting culturally-competent events throughout primaries across the country to the RUIDO Vota Tour in four battleground districts, BOLD PAC built the playbook for winning Latino voters, and last night it worked.

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CHC BOLD PAC, the campaign arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, was founded in 2001 to increase Latino representation in Congress. Since its founding, CHC BOLD PAC has more than doubled the size of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.


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Felicia Roberts took an idea, gathered a few people to reach into a minority community to highlight the positive, using a minority newspaper, the Central Valley Voice. Roberts was joined by her sisters Carolyn Williams, Alleashia Thomas, niece Hermonie Lynn Williams, nephew Ron Williams, cousin Jerald Lester, Jay Slaffey, Greg Savage, Tim Daniels, and the late J Denise Fontaine. Each individual played an important role in the birth of the newspapers. Since then, many have stood strong behind the success of the newspapers and its goal to fill a void in the Central Valley community The Central Valley Voice published its 1st issue in November 1991. Its purpose was to highlight the achievements of minorities in the Central Valley. The Voice focuses on the accomplishments of African Americans and Hispanics, giving young people role models while diminishing the stereotypical pictures of gangs, crime, and violence that permeate the minority communities. Since 1991, the Central Valley Voice has provided an important voice for the minority community throughout Madera, Merced. Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties.