Senate votes to confirm Yvette Herrell's nomination to Trump administration post

SANTA FE — Former New Mexico congresswoman Yvette Herrell's nomination to a Trump administration post was confirmed this week by the U.S. Senate, despite both of her home state senators casting "no" votes.

Herrell was appointed by the president in June to be an assistant secretary for congressional relations in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and her nomination was bundled together with about 100 other nominees for a final confirmation vote.

On a party-line vote, the U.S. Senate voted 53-43 late Thursday to confirm the nominees. New Mexico's two U.S. senators — Ben Ray Luján and Martin Heinrich — joined other Senate Democrats in voting against the nomination package.

A Luján spokeswoman said Friday the second-term senator voted for Herrell's nomination in the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry after Herrell expressed a willingness to work with him on issues affecting New Mexicans, but could not support her on the Senate floor due to how the nominations were bundled together.

"As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator Luján will work with anyone to deliver for New Mexico farmers, ranchers, producers, and families," said Luján spokeswoman Seiichiro Nakai. "At the same time, he will hold the Trump administration accountable for breaking the law, ignoring Congressional communications, and making life more expensive for working families." 

In her new Trump administration job based in Washington, D.C., Herrell will hold a key post in a federal agency that employs nearly 100,000 people and oversees the U.S. Forest Service and other departments.

She said in a statement Friday it was a "tremendous honor" to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, while also expressing gratitude to Trump and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.

"I look forward to hitting the ground running in this position as we work to deliver on President Trump's priorities for American agriculture," Herrell said in a statement.

The Republican Party of New Mexico also released a statement supporting Herrell's confirmation, saying she will act as a key link between Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture leaders in her new position.

"Her deep roots in southern New Mexico give her a firsthand understanding of the agricultural, rural, and economic issues facing our state, making her exceptionally well suited to serve in this role," said state GOP chairwoman Amy Barela.

Herrell, a Republican and former state legislator, served a single term in the U.S. House of Representatives after winning election to the southern New Mexico-based 2nd Congressional District seat in 2020.

However, she was ousted from Congress by Democrat Gabe Vasquez in 2022, and lost again in a tight rematch in the 2024 general election.

The seat has been one of the nation’s most hotly-contested districts in recent years, but became more favorable to Democrats after being redrawn during redistricting in 2021. Under the state's new congressional map, the 2nd Congressional District includes Albuquerque's South Valley and stretches south to the state's southern border with Mexico.

Since leaving Congress, Herrell has worked as a real estate broker in Alamogordo. She also owns an ice and water vending machine company but pledged to transfer ownership of the company to a family business if confirmed, according to a public financial disclosure report.

Meanwhile, Herrell is not the only New Mexican to be appointed to a key Trump administration post.

Former New Mexico congressman and state GOP chairman Steve Pearce was appointed last month to run the federal Bureau of Land Management.

His appointment drew immediate criticism from environmental groups, but support from Republican senators. A confirmation vote for Pearce's nomination has not yet been scheduled.

Dan Boyd covers state government and politics for the Journal in Santa Fe. Follow him on Twitter at @DanBoydNM or reach him via email at dboyd@abqjournal.com.