José Hernandez (left), Ciro Rodriguez and Abel Maldonado are among the hopefuls. | AP Photos Hispanics poised for big gains on Hill

Hispanics are poised for major gains in Congress this fall, ensuring a boost to their clout on Capitol Hill.

Latinos are positioned to seize at least a handful of new House seats, thanks to redistricting. California has three new Hispanic-majority districts, and Texas, depending on the final outcome of legal wrangling over congressional maps, is expected to have one or two.


Democrats also are fielding at least six strong Hispanic recruits in other districts currently represented by white members. And the GOP has a high-profile candidate of its own in former California Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado, who’s trying to unseat Rep. Lois Capps, a white Democrat.

Taken together, the Hispanic delegation could see its ranks swell. Hispanic lawmakers currently hold 25 House seats, according to The Almanac of American Politics, and after the election, that number could reach well over 30.

“We look at this as a huge opportunity,” said Democratic Rep. Charles Gonzalez of Texas, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. “Numbers do count.”

Gonzalez, a former judge and son of the late former Rep. Henry Gonzalez, a longtime Hispanic civil rights leader, estimated that Latinos would hold between four and seven additional seats in the next Congress — what he called a major achievement for the community.

“It’s a significant increase in clout, a significant increase in influence, and I think will result in more attention to issues central to the Hispanic community,” said Thomas Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF, a Latino legal civil rights group, who projected there would be six to 10 new Hispanic members. “In the long run, I think it means a cadre of new Hispanic members in the pipeline for leadership positions.”

The prospect for widespread gains reflects the explosion in Hispanic population over the past decade. In Texas, Hispanics now comprise almost 40 percent of the state’s population, according to census figures. In California, Hispanics now account for nearly a third of the state’s residents.

California is expected to be the epicenter of the gains. Last year, an independent redistricting panel threw out the state’s notoriously gerrymandered map and, recognizing the influx of minorities, established a new plan that positioned political up-and-comers — some of Hispanic descent — to take the place of incumbents who have resided in Congress for decades.

Hispanics currently hold six of California’s 53 congressional seats, but those in the Hispanic political community say they could seize about four more in 2012.

California congressional hopefuls this year include Democrats José Hernandez, a retired NASA astronaut, Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar and Raul Ruiz, an emergency room physician.

“I think it’s a very strong opportunity. It’s an indication of the leaps and bounds that candidates have made over the last 25 years,” said Roger Salazar, a California-based Democratic consultant and onetime top aide to former Gov. Gray Davis. “You’re seeing it not only in the demographics of the district and also the quality of the candidates.”

The enthusiasm is also palpable in Texas, where a handful of Hispanic Democrats, including former Rep. Ciro Rodriguez and Bexar County Tax Assessor Sylvia Romo, are lining up to run in what is expected to be a newly created, 35th District seat.

But Texas has emerged as a legal battleground for Hispanic activists, who have filed a lawsuit in federal court, accusing Republicans in the state Legislature of establishing a map that did not sufficiently reflect their population boom.With Texas gaining four seats in the current round of reapportionment, the Republican-drawn congressional plan would have most likely sent only one or two additional Hispanic members to Congress.

Regardless, Hispanic groups say they recognize the opportunities two new Texas seats will bring them. Trey Martinez Fischer, chairman of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, predicted a final map would bring Texas Hispanics, who currently hold six of the state’s 32 congressional seats, more power on Capitol Hill.

“I think, given the circumstances, gaining two seats in the state of Texas is a big accomplishment,” Fischer said.

Saenz, whose group has been active in the legal efforts, said Hispanics wanted three new Texas members but called two a victory.

For national Democrats, recruiting and supporting Latino candidates in states with significant Hispanic population growth has emerged as a top priority. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee recently added California’s Hernandez and State Assembly Speaker John Oceguera of Nevada, both of whom are trying to unseat white Republicans, to its Red to Blue program for top-tier candidates. House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland has hosted a Los Angeles fundraising event for Aguilar, who is challenging GOP Rep. Gary Miller.

“We put an absolute premium on recruiting Hispanic candidates. It’s a critical demographic,” said DCCC Chairman Steve Israel, who last week held a meeting with the CHC to discuss 2012. “We made an early decision that our prospects for taking back the House would be enhanced by focusing on Hispanic candidates.”