The next Congress seems likely to include a record number of Latina lawmakers, but that won’t be fueled by the much-hyped “red wave” of GOP Latinas. Eight Democrat and four Republican Latinas are already projected to win seats in the House. It’s too early to project the winners of an additional eight races featuring Latina candidates, but as of midday Wednesday, all but two of those candidates were leading against their opponents. The current record of Latina women in Congress is 15. Republicans ran their largest slate of Latina candidates ever, aiming to grow their federal power by wooing Latinx voters, who continue to strongly favor Democrats. Which party will control the House in the next Congress is unclear. For Republicans, a number of Latina candidates they hoped would flip or hold seats fell short: Just one of a so-called “triple threat” of Latina candidates won in the Rio Grande Valley and another fell short in a heated Virginia contest. Instead, the night pushed the first GOP Latina to represent Texas in Congress, Rep. Mayra Flores, out of Texas’ 34th District, after she won a special election in June. Republican Cassy Garcia fell short in her challenge of longtime Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar. And in Virginia, Republican Yesli Vega, who took a strong anti-abortion stance, lost her challenge to Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who was part of a wave of women candidates who first won in 2018. The GOP found victory in Texas with Monica De La Cruz, who flipped Texas’ 15th District on a platform focused on the border. In Florida, two GOP Latinas, Anna Paulina Luna and incumbent Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, helped fuel a GOP wave there. Read more about how GOP Latinas fared after Tuesday night at the 🔗 in our bio. 📸: Getty Images