The November 3rd, 2009 elections marked the first opportunity for citizens to express their opinions by secret ballot since President Obama’s election and democrats’ control of Congress.
Today we know that citizens elected the Republican governors Christopher Christie in New Jersey and Robert McDonnel in Virginia. This important change in state governments speaks clearly of a return to conservative principles by voters in both states.

Republican victories aside, I would like to focus on an aspect that perhaps went unnoticed in the political analyses of Election Day. I’m referring to important victories for Hispanic candidates of both parties, victories that demonstrate Hispanics’ growing influence in American politics.
With the potential to instigate change and make the United States prosper, Hispanics have once again shown us that not only do they know how to win elections; they will continue to do so. We saw some of these victories this 3rd of November. In Pennsylvania cities like Philadelphia, Lancaster and Reading as well as in the state of New Jersey, Hispanic candidates won the races for positions in the local courts, city councils and school boards.

Although Teresa Sarmina didn’t win her race for one of the four openings in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the 11 percent of votes she captured is clear evidence of the growing strength and presence of Latino voters.
In the fifth district of New Jersey, the Democrat Angel Fuentes, president of the Camden City Council, won a place in the District Assembly. Ángeles Roca won one of seven spots at the Common Pleas Court of Philadelphia. Al Santos was reelected as mayor for the fifth time in Kearny, New Jersey.

Reverend Fernando Cabrera and Ydanis Rodríguez won their races for the New York City Council. Rubén Díaz, Jr., was reelected as the president of Bronx County, making him the highest ranked Hispanic elected official in the state.
Southeast of Los Angeles, California, in Maywood, the political group “ Agua Limpia” (Clean Water) was a driving force behind the reelection of Felipe Aguirre as mayor; council members Sergio Calderón and Thomas Martín were also reelected.
In Miami, the Republican Tomás Regalado came out the winner against democrat José Sánchez, in what was without a doubt one of the great victories in mayorships obtained by the GOP this electoral year. Also in Miami, Julio Robaina was reelected in Hialeah and Matti Herrera was reelected mayor in Miami Beach. These individuals are model candidates that know how to identify themselves and faithfully represent their Hispanic voters, all the way staying committed to their community and coherent in their ideas.

On November 3rd, 2009, many other Hispanic candidates won or lost, some of them Democrats, others Republicans and still others Independents. But party affiliations aside, what is important is that these candidates were present, fighting the battle to be represented and make the voice of their community heard. An interesting conclusion to be made is that the Hispanic electorate doesn’t vote for its candidates just because they are Hispanics, but tends to increasingly examine the background, political agenda, and ideas of each candidate as well as his or her political project for the position in question. It’s an important change in the perceived character of the Hispanic electorate as for years; the press has tried to equate Hispanics with democratic voters. Despite these assumptions by the mainstream press, Hispanic voters are increasingly independent and increasingly identify themselves with a more conservative ideology, which could mean real progress for Latino communities and improved integration.

It’s become evident that the Hispanic electorate will not vote for candidates, be they Democrats or Republicans, that don’t represent and defend Hispanic interests in a comprehensible and effective way. Also, another great lesson brought to light is the possibility that divisions among Hispanics, certain factions within the general community, old and new guards, etc, could cause the great leaders of this community to lose votes and influence to better organized rivals or those rivals with greater media support.
Both the Media, and the Latino community need to be conscious of the importance of forging victories from a strong base, in municipal, local and state elections in order to make the leap to the presidency of a leader that understands and defends our community. To achieve this goal, we need higher levels of commitment and participation in our community, independent of political leanings.

These elections have emphasized the good health of conservatism as well as the importance of a candidate’s background and principles on the path to victory in an election; something for candidates to consider, especially those Hispanics candidates who want to win the heart and minds of those they represent, probably the single most crucial element in a U.S. election.