Washington, D.C. – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights organization in the U.S., today hailed the primary victories of Mel Martinez in Florida and Ken Salazar in Colorado in their campaigns for the United States Senate.

“Come November, we have a real chance of turning a dream of the Latino community into reality. It is a travesty that there has not been a Latino in the United States Senate for over a quarter of a century. Now the possibility of not just one, but two, United States senators of Hispanic descent should be cause for celebration and a call to action for the nation’s 40 million Latinos,” stated Janet Murguia, NCLR Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer.

Joseph Montoya, a Democrat from New Mexico (1964-1977) was the last of only three Hispanics to serve in the Senate during the last century. The others, Dennis Chavez and Octaviano Larrazolo, also represented New Mexico.

“Over a million more Hispanics are expected to vote in the 2004 election, and the presence of two viable candidates for Senate could push that number even higher. The most important thing Latinos can do, regardless of party affiliation or candidate preference, is to register to vote and make their voices heard in November,” concluded Murguia.