In With the New: Meet Congress’ Latino Newcomers

*There’ll be five new Latino faces in the U.S. House of Representatives. Three Democrats and two Republicans. VL

By Suzanne Gamboa, NBC News

The total number of Latinos in Congress rose by one, to 29, after the midterm elections, a new high, according to tallies kept by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. Here are the newcomers who will be sworn in after the 114th Congress convenes Jan. 7:

Arizona (CD7), Ruben Gallego, Democrat – Soon after winning his midterm election, Gallego joined a Capitol Hill news conference held by backers of the president’s plan to take executive action on immigration. They decried the deportation of immigrant family members of veterans at the event that coupled two key issues for Gallego, immigration and veterans. Gallego is a Harvard graduate and military veteran who served in Iraq. He defeated three other primary candidates and three general election opponents to win the 2014 race to represent Arizona’s 7th congressional district, a House seat left open by the retirement of Democratic Rep. Ed Pastor. The former Marine led a fight to remove Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The son of Colombian and Mexian immigrant parents, he served in the Arizona Legislature, held positions in the state Democratic Party and worked as a political consultant.

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