Vasquez wins second term in Congress

Gabe Vasquez, a freshman member of Congress representing southern New Mexico, won a second term in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional district, for most of its history, has usually been held by Republicans, but redistricting after the 2020 Census tipped the balance to Democratic voters. Even on the previous district map, however, Democrats occasionally won here, only to be ousted after a single term. The last Democratic representative to serve multiple terms in the district was Harold Runnels from 1971 until his death in 1980.

Unofficial results at press time showed Vasquez beating Republican Yvette Herrell by 10,000 vote, making him the first Democrat reelected in the district since 1978. The Associated Press had called the race for Vasquez Tuesday night.

“Serving New Mexico’s second congressional district is a privilege and honor, and I will continue to work for the people and families of this district and this state,” Vasquez said in a written statement.

Herrell, a former state legislator and real estate broker from Alamogordo who served in Congress from 2021 to 2023, conceded the contest in a social media post stating, “The results tonight weren’t what we hoped for, but I’m so grateful to the incredible people of New Mexico’s Second District for their support over the years.”

Vasquez previously served on the Las Cruces City Council and had previously been a staffer for Sen. Martin Heinrich, who was also reelected to his office Tuesday. Vasquez grew up in El Paso and Ciudad Juárez and spoke often on the campaign trail of his desire for immigration reform, economic development in the border region and visa programs for farm workers.

The election was Herrell’s fourth consecutive run for Congress. After a narrow loss to Democrat Xochitl Torres Small in 2018, Herrell returned in 2020 to win the seat. In 2022, Vasquez eked out a 1,350-vote victory to oust her.