Vasquez wins CD2 in tight race

LAS CRUCES — Gabe Vasquez will keep his seat in Congress in New Mexico’s hotly contested 2nd Congressional District, according to unofficial results.

Both Vasquez and his Republican challenger Yvette Herrell ran attack ads focused on issues like abortion access, policing, cost of living and border security.

Herrell previously represented the district for one term beginning in 2021. In 2022, Vasquez won the seat in the first election after a significant redistricting that withstood a GOP court challenge. The new district boundaries broke up the conservative stronghold of Eddy, Lea and Chaves counties.

The race has drawn national attention, with visits from notable congressional leaders like Democratic Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and and former Speaker Kevin McCarthy stumping for the candidates.

In a second term, Vasquez’s top priorities will include restoring women’s reproductive rights, natural resource issues and making sure immigration and border security bills make it to committee.

“I think the reality is we’re going to have to tackle immigration in a piecemeal way, and that’s why six of my bills that I’ve introduced ... are supported by Republicans, so we can do that,” Vasquez said.

Herrell declined an interview on Election Day. Her first vote in Congress in 2021 was against certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election. She has been vocal in her support for former president and now president-elect Donald Trump’s candidacy and spoke at his rally in Albuquerque last week.

"The results tonight weren't what we hoped for, but I'm so grateful to the incredible people of NM02 for their support over the years," Herrell wrote on social media platform X.

Vasquez hosted an election night party with supporters at the Amador, a bar and grill near Las Cruces’ historic Main Street. The party wrapped around 10:20 p.m., when Vasquez’s campaign manager Dylan McArthur thanked attendees for their support.

The 2nd Congressional District is very geographically diverse. It contains part of the oil patch in eastern New Mexico, rural and tribal communities and urban areas like Las Cruces and Albuquerque’s South Valley.

One issue that binds the district is water, Vasquez said.

“If we don't take care of that critical problem, which is water availability, both surface water and groundwater, we're not going to be able to do the things that we want to do to expand industry and create jobs,” he said.

In Hobbs, 19-year-old Jacqueline Lavalle voted for the first time this election. She cast her ballot early and also canvassed in the area to turn out votes for Vasquez. Lavalle likes that he supports rural New Mexico and women’s rights.

“He’s just trying to make it better for workers, also to provide a better education on rights and legal remedies,” Lavalle said. “He’s trying to create leadership opportunities for immigrants and low-wage workers.”

In Las Cruces, Levi Eilers cast his vote on Election Day for Herrell. His work in law enforcement guided his decision at the polls.

“Gabe Vasquez wants to get rid of us. Yvette wants to keep us, so that one was an easy vote for me,” Eilers said.

Another Las Cruces voter, Karen Laplante, knew her pick in the presidential election: Green Party candidate Jill Stein. But deciding between Vasquez and Herrell was difficult for her because she did not care for either candidate.

“I just decided because of what I had seen, the best one was Yvette. … I wish there was somebody else,” Laplante said.