Democrats: Latino Turnout Up 174 Percent Over 2014 Midterms

By LUIS ALONSO LUGO

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic Party says a $30 million investment in engaging Latino and other minority voters helped the Democrats achieve a net gain of 34 House seats and improve on 2014 turnout numbers.

Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, says Latinos increased their participation by 174 percent over the previous midterm election.

The Hispanic community will have a record level of representation on Capitol Hill with at least 42 members: 34 Democrats and eight Republicans in both chambers. One House race featuring a Hispanic candidate hasn’t been decided.

Lujan told reporters during a conference call Tuesday that the 2018 election results show “early and active and robust outreach to communities of color — in this case, into the Hispanic community — clearly pays off.”