Year in Review: Latinos in the News

Latino conservatives rise to power

Call it discontent over the recession, call it disapproval of President Obama, or call it, simply, the usual midterm election turnover. Whatever the reason, Republicans swept into Congress in big numbers in November, and among them were six Latinos who challenged the notion that politically, we are a Democratic monolith. Bill Flores and Francisco Canseco of Texas, Raul Labrador of Idaho, David Rivera of Florida and Jaime Lynn Herrera of Washington are all elected on conservative promises of overturning health reform, cutting government spending and cracking down on illegal immigration—as was Marco Rubio, the handsome, articulate Miamian who looks very much like the future of the dying-to-diversify GOP.