History-Making Political Siblings AsDifferent As East And West

LOS ANGELES - (11/06/02) -- Labor attorney Linda Sanchez waselected Tuesday to the House where she will join her sister,three-term Rep. Loretta Sanchez; the two Mexican-Americans becomingthe first sisters ever to serve in the House together. Credit unions threw their support behind Linda Sanchez, a newcomerto national politics, after opposing her in the Democratic primary,and helped Loretta Sanchez, also a Democrat, get elected toCongress in 1996. The history-making Sanchez sisters will be joinedin the House by two Republican Cuban-American brothers representingdistricts on the other side of the country, as Florida statesenator Mario Diaz-Balart was elected to join his brother LincolnDiaz-Balart, reelected Tuesday to a sixth term. The Diaz-Balarts,both elected with credit union help, will be the first brothers toserve in the House together in more than a century. "Mario's a goodguy. He helped us out when he was in the legislature," AlettaShutes, chief lobbyist for the Florida CU League, told The CreditUnion Journal.