Election results: How Latino candidates did in the midterm elections

Latino candidates were involved in some of the most competitive races in this year’s midterm elections, while others were able to easily win.

According to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, Latino candidates ran for top offices in 42 state this year. That includes seats in Congress and statewide offices.

SEE ALSO: What’s next for immigration now that Republicans control the Senate

Here is how some Latino candidates did in their bids to be elected to public office:

Susana Martinez

New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez easily defeated Democratic challenger Gary King in her bid to serve as a second term.

The Associated Press declared Martinez the winner shortly after the votes began coming in. With most of the precincts reporting, Martinez received 58 percent of the votes and King got 42 percent.

Martinez made history in 2010 when she became the nation’s first Latina governor and the first woman elected governor of New Mexico, which has a 47 percent Latino population. She’s considered a rising star in the Republican Party.

Joe Garcia

Democratic Rep. Joe Garcia, who was seeking a second term to represent Florida’s 26th congressional district, lost his seat to Republican challenger Carlos Curbelo.

Garcia picked up 49 percent of the vote while Curbelo received 51 percent with all the votes counted. Both Garcia and Curbelo are sons of Cuban exiles.

In Congress, Garcia has been a vocal supporter of immigration reform. Last year, he was a lead sponsor of a comprehensive immigration reform bill introduced in the House.

Brian Sandoval

Nevada Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval won re-election in a landslide over Democratic challenger Bob Goodman.

With most of the precincts reporting, Sandoval had 71 percent of the vote and Goodman had 24 percent.

Sandoval was first elected in 2010, becoming Nevada’s first Hispanic governor. Today, he is one of the most popular governors in the country and is seen as someone who could help the GOP make inroads with Latino voters.

Marilinda Garcia

Republican state Rep. Marilinda Garcia lost her bid to unseat Democratic incumbent Ann McLane Kuster in New Hampshire’s 2nd congressional district.

With about one-third of the votes counted, the Associated Press declared Kuster the winner, leading Garcia 55 percent to 45 percent.

At 31 years old, Garcia is seen as a rising star in the Republican Party. Some said she was too young and didn’t have enough experience to be elected to Congress. But to others, she was just the type of person the Republican Party needs to change its image: someone who is young, a strong conservative and a Hispanic.

Leticia Van de Putte

Democratic state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte conceded defeat to Republican Rep. Dan Patrick Texas’ lieutenant governor race.

With most of the precincts reporting, Van de Putte had 38 percent of the vote to Patrick’s 58 percent.

Democrats regarded Van de Putte as the party’s strongest lt.-governor nominee in years, but she faced an uphill battle to win a statewide office in a predominately Republican state like Texas.

Shortly after conceding, Van de Putte took to Twitter to thank her supporters. In one tweet, she said: “We will never stop sharing our dream. And we will never give up on the promise of Texas.”

Alex Mooney

Republican Alex Mooney, whose mother was born in Cuba, will become the first Latino to be elected to Congress to represent the state of West Virginia.

He defeated Democratic challenger Nick Casey, a former chairman of the West Virginia Democratic Party, with a vote of 47 percent to 44 percent.

Mooney is the former chairman of the Maryland Republican Party. He was criticized for moving from Maryland to West Virginia in order to run for Congress.

Nellie Gorbea

Former deputy Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea will become the first Latina to serve in statewide office in the New England region.

She defeated Republican challenger John Carlevale in the Rhode Island secretary of state race. She got 61 percent of the vote while Carlevale received 39 percent.

Gorbea said previously that if elected as secretary of state, she would review a state law that requires voters in Rhode Island to show photo identification at the polls. She said she wants to see if the law is making it difficult for some voters to cast ballots.

Lucy Flores

Democratic Assemblywoman Lucy Flores lost the race to become Nevada’s next lieutenant governor against Republican challenger Mark Hutchison.

She received 34 percent of the votes while Hutchinson got 60 percent.

At 34 years old, Flores is seen as a rising stare in the Democratic Party. She went from growing up in poverty, dropping out of high school and getting pregnant as a teen to becoming the first in her family to go to college and ultimately going on to law school and becoming a state legislator.

SEE ALSO: In Florida, Gov. Rick Scott is re-elected but Rep. Joe Garcia loses