In spite of the efforts by some Latino organizations and some clergy groups that called on Latino voters to boycott the 2010 midterm elections, Hispanics played a big role in the election and in its outcome. Fortunately, Latinos did not fall for that pessimistic vision, and not only did more of them go out and vote, but in some races, they helped decide the winner.

The most notable race where the Latino vote made an impact was in Nevada, where Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid struggled to hold on to his seat in a tough campaign against tea party candidate Sharron Angle. Her efforts to portray him as a friend of undocumented immigrants actually backfired on her, as she became perceived as anti-Hispanic.

Up to the last minute, the race was neck and neck, according to most polls, but it seems like they had not taken into consideration Latino voters. Reid won by a 5 percent margin. Latinos comprised 15 percent of the electorate in Nevada, voting at an even higher rate than in the 2008 presidential election.

Latinos also helped former California Gov. Jerry Brown in his bid to return to Sacramento, while spending $163 million of her own money did not help Meg Whitman win the governorship. Even though she spent heavily on Spanish-language ads trying to reach out to Latino voters, her opposition to immigration reform and the DREAM Act, and her handling of "nannygate," alienated Latino voters. Latinos also helped several Hispanic incumbents in the House of Representatives retain their seats.

However, there is another, very different side to the Latino impact in this election. A record number of Latino Republican candidates were elected to office. Susana Martinez in New Mexico became the first Latina ever elected as governor.

Brian Sandoval won his bid for the governorship in Nevada against Harry Reid's son Rory Reid. Florida state Rep. Marco Rubio became the state's next senator, and there will be five new Hispanic Republicans in the House of Representatives - Raul Labrador in Idaho's 1st District, David Rivera in Florida's 25th District, Bill Flores in Texas' 17th District, Jaime Herrera in Washington state's 3rd District and Republican businessman Francisco Canseco, who defeated incumbent Democrat Ciro Rodriguez in Texas' 23rd District. Democratic Reps. Solomon Ortiz of Texas and John Salazar of Colorado also lost their bids for re-election.

The common denominator among all of the new Latino Republicans who were elected to office is that they took a tough stance on immigration issues, some of them even supporting state laws such as Arizona's SB1070. But political analyst Arnoldo Torres warns that this should not be seen as a shift in political preferences by Latino voters who have given their support to the Democrats: "With very few exceptions, the new Latino candidates received the vast majority of their support from non-Hispanic voters."

Torres adds that the first data published on voter turnout amongst Latinos continues to reflect a 2-1 Democrat-to-Republican split by Latino voters. Latinos voted 62 percent to 64 percent for Democrats and 30 percent to 33 percent for Republican candidates, with the exception of Florida and New Mexico.

No doubt it was a tough choice for many Latino voters who see immigration as one of their main concerns. On one hand, they were disappointed with Democrats who did not keep their promise to pass immigration reform, and on the other, they felt attacked by Republicans who attempted to treat some immigrants as criminals.

Unfortunately for Latinos who were driven to vote by the negative tone of the immigration debate, the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives means bad news. The possibility of passing a comprehensive immigration reform that would open the door for the legalization of undocumented immigrants is slim.

Any new immigration-related laws could very well be geared to getting even tougher on immigration. It is possible that efforts to duplicate laws like Arizona's SB1070 will gain some traction in more than 20 states, as well as the movement to amend the 14th Amendment to deny citizenship rights to children born in the United States to undocumented parents.

The 2012 presidential election unofficially began on Nov. 3. You can be sure that the Latino electorate will grow and strengthen in the next two years. Democrats, Republicans and tea party members will need to start paying more attention to their needs. Latinos do vote.