has a significant Democratic voter base. In the 2004 Presidential election, U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D) received 51% of the district's vote.



* In Connecticut's 4th Congressional District, where Latinos are nearly 11% of the potential electorate, former Westport Selectwoman Diane Farrell (D) is challenging incumbent U.S. Representative Christopher Shays (R). Both candidates are courting Latino voters, with Shays sending out Spanish-language mailers, and Farrell making campaign appearances with Puerto Rico Governor Anibal Acevedo-Vila (D) and U.S. Representative Xavier Becerra (D).



* In Florida's 22nd Congressional District, where Latinos are about 9% of the potential electorate, Florida State Senator Ron Klein (D) is challenging incumbent U.S. Representative Clay Shaw. The 22nd Congressional District also has a large number of Democratic voters, with John Kerry having received 52% of the vote during the 2004 election.



* In Illinois' 6th Congressional District, where Latinos comprise nearly 9% of the potential electorate, the retirement of 16-term incumbent U.S.



* Representative Henry Hyde (R) has created an extremely competitive open seat contest, with Illinois State Senator Peter Roskam (R) battling Iraqi war veteran Tammy Duckworth (D). The candidates' stances on immigration reform have emerged as a campaign issue during this race.



* The battle for Colorado's 7th District also involves a combative debate about immigration -- this contest is now an open seat race because of incumbent U.S. Representative Bob Beauprez' (R) decision to run for Colorado Governor. The contenders for the seat are attoney and former Colorado State Senator Ed Perlmutter (D), and Rick O'Donnell (R), who has held several state executive positions, including the head of the Colorado Department of Higher Education and the Colorado Department of ...