HispanicBusiness

Los Angeles (DPA) - Two sisters elected to Congress in the recent elections are spearheading a record success for Hispanic politicians in the United States.

Loretta Sanchez and her younger sister Linda are the first sisters ever to serve together in the U.S. legislative body - part of a Latino drive that has put a record 25 Hispanics in the 435-seat Congress.

Apart from the wider political significance, the electoral success of the Sanchez's is a remarkable personal story that according to Jose de la Isla, author of the book "The Rise of Hispanic Political Power", represents the apotheosis of the Hispanic-American dream.

As in many hard luck immigrant tales, the Sanchez's mother Maria Marcas dropped out of school in the second grade in Mexico to care for her four siblings while her widowed mother worked.

But after moving to America, almost penniless and speaking no English, she raised seven children with her husband Ignacio Sanchez, a machinist - and achieved the American dream of putting them all through collage.

In growing up, the Sanchez children were instilled with a highly developed civic awareness. For instance, the Sanchez family never had grapes at home - in support of a boycott by the largely Hispanic United Farm Workers Union.

When the children's' teachers asked Maria to speak English to them at home, she refused, saying: "I send my children to school to learn English. I don't want them to forget their Spanish."

In the end, Maria also returned to school in her 40s after learning English from her children. She trained to teach Latino children in Spanish, and spent her spare time helping parents fill out hundreds of forms during the immigrant amnesty of the 1980s.

Eldest daughter Loretta carved out a successful career in the finance industry before winning an upset victory in 1996 by mobilizing Latinos in the traditionally conservative Orange County district south of Los Angeles.

She has since established her political hold so strongly that no one even challenged her in the last election. She describes herself as a moderate Democrat, and says her family upbringing made her look for practical solutions.

"It's my business background, having to make payroll, being the first one in the family, having to fight for everything and not having as much help along the way," she said.

Younger sister Linda, who won a seat in southeast Los Angeles County earlier this month, is the real political firebrand, and the sisters agree on this point. Linda, whose district is 60 percent Latino, cites her background as a civil rights lawyer and labor leader as the fuel of her activism.

"Like my mom, I have this real passionate side to me," she said. "When I see an issue that moves me, I roll up my sleeves and I get to work."

Linda is also said to be more measured compared to the flamboyant older sister Loretta, who made headlines last year with a plan to hold a fundraising party at the Playboy Mansion. She was forced to shelve the idea in the face of public outcry, but she retains her reputation as a formidable fundraiser.

Linda, who is less comfortable approaching people for money, benefits from this too. The two sisters pooled their war chest during the recent election campaign in a move that was seen as a crucial factor in securing Linda's victory in a close race.

The two sisters also cooperated in a noteworthy TV ad which featured their mother.

"My daughters know that education is the key to success," the matriarch said in her Spanish-language appeal. "How do I know? Because I taught them."

De la Isla agreed that the roots of their unique achievement go way back.

"People think it's an overnight success, but it's a success that took 30 years," he says. "We try to make them into rock stars, but they can't sing. What they are is great organizers and strategists."

Their success reflects growing Hispanic power - a potent force in national politics that is concentrated in three of the nation's most important states politically - Florida, Texas and California. Hispanics now make up 12.5 per cent of the U.S. population.

De la Isla attributes the newfound Hispanic success to the core values of education, family, hard work and social advancement. They are 70 per cent middle class and though affiliated with the Democrats they also vote Republican if they like the candidate.

"The rise of Hispanic political power has been predicted since the 1980s," de la Isla said. "The election of the Sanchez sisters shows it's hitting home."