Bios of Latina candidates in Fla., Nevada, Texas

LAURA WIDES-MUNOZ
Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) — After years of running few Latinos for statewide posts, Democrats are building a bench that better reflects the support they have in the Hispanic community.

Polls show more than twice as many Hispanics identify as Democrats than Republicans nationally. Democrats have long run minority candidates in minority districts, but not in heavily white districts or statewide. This year, Democrats are running competitive candidates in key states that not only have large Hispanic electorates but also enough electoral votes to swing presidential elections. The shift is crucial for a party that often fails to get its Hispanic supporters to the polls.

Below is a look at the candidates in Nevada, Texas and Florida.

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LUCY FLORES, NEVADA

Born in East Los Angeles but raised in North Las Vegas, Rep. Flores, 35, has been viewed as a rising Democratic star. She is one of 13 siblings, two of whom were killed in gang violence.

Flores wound up in juvenile detention after her mother left the family when she was 9. Flores later got her GED, graduated from college and earned her law diploma in 2010. That same year she was elected to the legislature.

Flores has made improving Nevada’s schools, along with promoting tourism and Nevada businesses among her top priorities. She spoke frankly last year of an abortion she had as a teenager as part of her call for improved sex education in high schools. Flores, an assistant majority whip, has also been outspoken in support of immigrant rights.

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LETICIA VAN DE PUTTE, TEXAS

Sen. Van De Putte, 59, grew up in San Antonio is a sixth-generation Texan and the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants.

Born Leticia Rosa Magdalena San Miguel, she is the daughter of a politically active Korean War veteran and a music teacher.

She gained national attention last year when she yelled on the floor of the Texas Senate: “At what point must a female senator raise her hand or her voice to be recognized over the male colleagues in the room?” Her comments came as Republican leaders sought to end a filibuster of abortion restrictions by Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis, who is running for governor.

Van de Putte was a pharmacist who first ran for the state legislature in 1990 and won, jumping to the senate in 1999 in a special election. There, she focused on veterans’ affairs and human trafficking. She was also a co-chair of the 2008 Democratic National Convention. She and her husband, Peter Van De Putte, have six adult children.

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ANNETTE TADDEO, FLORIDA

Taddeo, 47, was born and raised in Colombia, the daughter of a New Jersey war veteran father and a Columbian mother.

After her father was kidnapped when she was a teen, Taddeo was sent to Alabama to finish high school. She moved to Florida following college and started a successful translation business. Her company has been named one of the top 500 small businesses in the United States, and she has been a national leader of women’s business associations.

In 2008, Taddeo ran unsuccessfully for Congress against popular Republican incumbent Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and for county commission in 2010. She found greater success as a fundraiser and political leader within the Florida Democratic party, where she recently stepped down as vice-party chair.

Taddeo, whose legal name is Taddeo-Goldstein, has an 8-year-old daughter and twin adult stepdaughters with her husband, Eric Goldstein.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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