In a year where Latinx candidates for office made history in their runs for office, Pennsylvania was not alone in hopping aboard the train.

One of the success stories from this election cycle was Manny Guzman, who triumphed over his Republican competition in the race for a spot in Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives repping District 127.

Unlike the presidential election in Pennsylvania, which has yet to have a declared winner, Guzman declared victory in a tweet a little past 10:30 p.m. on Election Night. 

The district he will represent come 2021 encompasses the city of Reading in Berks County and the town just south of Kenhorst.

Guzman himself is raised in Reading as a second-generation Latino, and is the first in history to represent District 127 in Harrisburg.

He came close to making history in 2018, but fell a mere 150 votes short of beating longtime Democratic incumbent Thomas Caltagirone in the primaries.

When Caltagirone announced he was retiring from his post at the end of 2020, the door opened for Guzman to take his spot.

He even got an endorsement from the longtime state rep and from Reading’s first Latino Mayor, Eddie Moran.

Before running for state rep, the 32-year old was a member of Reading’s School Board. Guzman is also a seasoned organizer with experience both campaigning for then-Illinois Senator Barack Obama during his first presidential campaign and later, as the Coalitions Director for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. In that role, he worked to elect Democratic candidates throughout the Commonwealth.

His platform for office in 2020, focused heavily on being the Latino fighter for Reading in Harrisburg. The city’s population is 66% Hispanic according to 2010 census data, and that will likely rise significantly when 2020 census data is released next year.

If his win means anything, it’s that population turning its numbers into a serious political force that will continue to exert its dominance well into the future.