State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte is the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor and chairs the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs and Military Installations. Although her last name doesn't reveal it, Van de Putte is a Latina from Texas, and she's working on becoming the next lieutenant governor of her home state. It would be one of the highest profile jobs for a Latina in a major state.

Before becoming a political candidate, this San Antonio native was a pharmacist. She was previously known as Leticia San Miguel, and since the 1990s has served in state office. Part of her platform for the powerful position of Texas' number 2 top politician is a focus on adding more money for public schools, developing small businesses, creating better support for veterans, and increasing women's health programs.

She's recently spoken out against the use of National Guard Troops on the U.S.-Mexico border.  

"Under this deployment, the current TxNG's appropriation will be depleted by the first week in August - putting a stop to the entire operation if additional funds are not secured," Van de Putte wrote.

"I strongly believe that it is irresponsible for this state to send our Guard to the border without ensuring they receive the funds they need to complete their mission," Van de Putte said in a letter that was reported on in the Houston Chronicle.

But will Latino voters event decide to support her, based on her last name? It might not matter.

As the Dallas Morning News has reported about her, "Some Democrats suggest that by emphasizing her first name, Van de Putte could help draw Hispanic voters.

But Cindy Kam, a political scientist at Vanderbilt University in Nashville who conducts research on the importance of names in politics, says that's not necessarily so.

"Leticia sounds more African-American to me," Kam said. "Barring other information not available to them, voters will interpret the last name as European. Names carry meaning. My first reaction is that she is a woman. Second, that she may be African-American," the Morning News reported.

An analysis by the newspaper said that she doesn't need to play up or play down her heritage, but will have to do a lot of outreach in the Latino community, which she has already been doing ahead of the November election.

"Matt Barreto, a University of Washington political science professor, said circumstances require Van de Putte to 'conduct extra outreach into those Hispanic communities.' Campaigning in suburban Republican strongholds such as Collin and Denton counties will require a different strategy, Barreto said. The inverse is that she does not need to play up or play down her ethnicity when she campaigns in Anglo strongholds," he told the Morning News.