Wed. Nov 6th, 2024

From left, Gabe Vasquez and Yvette Herrell, right, are in a hotly contested races for New Mexico’s second congressional district. (Courtesy of campaigns)

A tight race in New Mexico’s congressional swing district will not only determine whether the state’s entire delegation stays blue, it will also help decide what party controls the House of Representatives.

The sprawling 2nd Congressional District stretches from Albuquerque to the borders with Arizona on the west and Texas and Mexico to the south. It has flipped from Republican to Democratic four times in the past decade, and both candidates running to represent it have held the seat before. However, the district has never elected a Democrat to a second consecutive term.

Incumbent Democrat Gabe Vasquez faces Republican challenger Yvette Herrell. The race is a rematch after Vasquez eked out a 2022 victory by 1,200 votes, just a difference of 0.7%. Polling shows this race is likely to be just as close.

Races with tight margins may be too close to call because of provisional or outstanding absentee ballots, which could delay when the preliminary results are available.

The Republican presidential nominee gave credence to that in a last-minute appearance in Albuquerque last week, giving Herrell a shout out.

Vasquez, 40, had prior stints as a student journalist and newspaper reporter before his work in politics for Sen. Martin Heinrich’s office and election to Las Cruces City Council.

Herrell, 60, is a realtor, business owner and legislative analyst, according to her bio. She was also a state representative for the Alamogordo area.

This is Herrell’s fourth time running for the 2nd District seat. In 2018, she lost to Democrat Xochitl Torres Small, a former water attorney. Torres Small won the seat by 1.8% or just over 3,700 votes. Herrell at the time made claims, without evidence, of voter fraud. In their 2020 rematch, Herrell won handily, by more than 19,000 votes.

In New Mexico’s other two congressional races, Democrats are expecting to have an easier path to victory. Rep. Melanie Stansbury faces Republican Steve Jones, and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández faces the GOP’s Sharon Clahchischilliage.

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