Voters are choosing an increasing number of nonwhite Hispanic leaders to local elective office, with many becoming the first Latinos to hold their seats, as grassroots organizing efforts translate into electoral success at the municipal level across the country.
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% of the U.S. 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.
Local Government Gains
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with a roughly 40% Hispanic population, recently elected Jaime Arroyo their first Latino mayor. Arroyo took office in January, after being elected with 85% 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."
Arroyo 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."
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, Georgia. 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.
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 U.S. to have a council with majority Latino representation. Martinez said her election, and that of Nevarez Martinez, makes a big statement about "what people are truly open to despite the national rhetoric."
Federal and State Progress
The 119th Congress has 56 Hispanic or Latino members. That shakes out to 10.35% 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 U.S. senators. That number decreased to six when then Sen. 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%, 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 Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is the only active Latina governor in the U.S. Only two Latinas have been elected governor in U.S. 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.
Community Engagement
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. "I feel like I'm building on early generations of leadership," Carlsen said. "That's both an honor and responsibility to improve Salt Lake City for the people who live here."
Carolina Welles, executive director of The First Ask, an organization that supports first-time female candidates at the state level, said the reason why Latino representation is more visible at the local level is because those leaders are able to build trust with their community much easier given their proximity. "They actually know what people care about," Welles said. "They have a stake because they are facing similar things."
Carlsen said even if representation at the federal level is not high or visible, having representation at the local level can have a huge impact. "I think that it's critically important that we continue to build on this momentum," Carlsen said. "The majority of change that can happen starts locally, it doesn't start in Washington but in City Hall, school boards and neighborhoods conversations. That's the kind of momentum I'd love to see all across the United States."
Why This Matters:
The increase from 6,883 Latino elected officials in 2020 to 7,700 currently represents meaningful progress in democratic representation, though Latinos remain underrepresented relative to their 16% share of the U.S. population. Local government success reflects the effectiveness of grassroots organizing and community engagement at the municipal level, where officials can build trust through proximity and direct accountability to constituents. The trend demonstrates how civic participation and political organization can translate into electoral outcomes within established democratic institutions. At the federal level, growth from 14 Hispanic members 40 years ago to 56 in the 119th Congress shows steady institutional progress, including Marco Rubio becoming the first Latino Secretary of State. The concentration of gains at the local level—including multiple cities achieving Latino-majority councils—suggests that municipal governance provides accessible entry points for new political leaders. This bottom-up approach to representation aligns with principles of federalism and local control, allowing communities to select leaders who understand their specific needs and priorities without top-down mandates.