There are currently an estimated 7,700 Latino elected officials nationwide, according to data from the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. That’s up from 6,883 officials in 2020.
Estimated to number as many as 55 million people — 16 percent of the US population — Latinos are the largest ethnic minority in the country, with politics, interests, and priorities as diverse as the national origins represented within their population. But Latinos also are underrepresented as a demographic across elective offices.
Since the beginning of President Trump’s second term, Latino communities have been a target of his hard-line immigration tactics. The feeling of attack doesn’t stop there. From memes shared from the official White House page perpetuating Hispanic stereotypes, a federally led English-only initiative, and an antidiversity, equity, and inclusion push have painted a target on Latinos across the country.
It’s all led to more Latinos seeking office to defend their communities and give voice to those who may be afraid to speak out in the current political climate. As a result, legislators have proposed measures that include providing community members with protections against the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, halting the approval of ICE detention centers in their cities, and calling for a stop to ICE funding, among other actions.
Lancaster, Pa., with a roughly 40 percent Hispanic population, recently elected Jaime Arroyo their first Latino mayor. Arroyo took office in January, after being elected with 85 percent of the vote.
“I think being the first Latino to be in this role and the first person of color to be mayor of Lancaster City has been exciting,” Arroyo told the Associated Press, adding that he finds it “extremely exciting to lead and represent our community in this role.”
With rhetoric and national policies — such as heightened immigration enforcement — hurting the Latino communities, Arroyo said, diverse representation in government is more important than ever. He also believes that the rise of elected Latino officials over the last couple of years is the result of generations of Latinos being politically active fighting for civil rights.
“We’re starting to see a lot of the fruits of that labor come to fruition,” Arroyo said. “There’s never a perfect time to serve your community, there’s the right time. And I think right now is the right time for a lot of Latinos to step up into these roles, especially with everything that is going on.”
Many more Latinos made history when they took office in earlier this year.
In Iowa, Rob Barron was sworn in Jan. 12 as the first Latino representative on the Des Moines City Council. Antonio Pacheco was sworn on Jan. 7 to be the first Latino member of the city council in Conyers, Ga. In Ohio, Eileen Torres became the first Mexican American women to win a city council seat in Lorain. Sabrina Gonzalez also took office there as the first Puerto Rican women to serve.
And in Michigan, Clara Martinez and Deyanira Nevarez Martinez were sworn in Jan. 1 to the Lansing City Council, making the city the first in the US to have a council with majority Latino representation.
The Salt Lake City Council also has a Latino majority, with four of seven seats, after Erika Carlsen, the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants, was sworn in on Jan. 5. Carlsen said her success is possible because of current and previous generations that put in the work to create spaces where Latinas were encouraged to take leadership positions.
Carolina Welles, executive director of The First Ask, an organization that supports first-time female candidates at the state level, said the reason Latino representation is more visible at the local level is that those leaders are able to build trust with their community much easier given their proximity.
It’s not just at the local level. Latinos are making inroads at the federal level too.
The 119th Congress has 56 Hispanic or Latino members. That shakes out to 10.35 percent of total membership, according to the Congressional Research Service.
For comparison, there were only 14 Hispanic or Latino members and all were male in the 99th Congress, 40 years ago.
At the start of 2025, there were seven Hispanic US senators. That number decreased to six when then-senator Marco Rubio resigned to become the Secretary of State, the first Latino to hold the position.
Last year also marked a record for Latinas at the state level. Latinas held 214, or 2.9 percent, of seats in state legislatures, according to the Center for American Women and Politics. That was up from 192 seats in 2024.
Currently, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham is the only active Latina governor in the US. Only two Latinas have been elected governor in US history, and both were in New Mexico.
In March, Gina Hinojosa won the Democratic nomination for governor, making her the second Latina to win a major party gubernatorial nomination in Texas.
Latinos saw the biggest rise in elected officials during the Trump administration in response to attacks on their fundamental rights, said Sampaio, the Santa Clara University professor. She said that trend is likely to continue as the administration continues its attacks on immigrant communities.
“We’re likely to see more Latinos run for office at the local level, at the state level and even at the national level in response to the attack on simply their existence,” Sampaio said. “It is unwittingly both terrorizing the Latino community as well as mobilizing communities.”
