Vasquez ekes out a victory over Herrell in CD2, Dems sweep New Mexico’s U.S. House seats

Results for congressional races in the 2022 midterms

By: Staff Report - November 9, 2022 5:31 pm

Left: U.S. Rep. Yvette Herrell (R-New Mexico) speaks briefly during the opening of the RNC Hispanic community center in southwest Albuquerque in mid-August. (Photo by Shelby Wyatt for Source NM) Right: Democratic candidate for Congress Gabe Vasquez speaks at the Pelican Spa in Truth or Consequences, in New Mexico’s Congressional District 2. (Photo by Alice Fordham / KUNM)

Update: 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022

With a narrow lead of only 1,224 votes, Democrat Gabe Vasquez claimed victory over Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Yvette Herrell a little after 4 p.m. on Wednesday. Herrell conceded the race a short while later, blaming recent redistricting for the loss.

“I’d also like to congratulate Gabe Vasquez on his victory,” Herrell said in a statement released by a campaign spokesperson. She added that her loss is a result of what she called “gerrymandering” by Democrats in Santa Fe that concentrated power “in urban areas at the expense of rural New Mexico voices.” She said she is confident the Republican Party will recapture the district in the next election cycle.

Before redistricting late last year, Congressional District 2 was solidly Republican and encompassed the southern part of the state. Now it also includes parts of Albuquerque’s Westside and the nearby South Valley in Central New Mexico, which created an opening for Democrats.

— Marisa Demarco

U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) speaks from the stage at Tiguex Park before hundreds of reproductive rights supporters in Albuquerque on Friday, June 24, 2022. (Photo by Shelby Wyatt for Source NM)

CD1: Melanie Stansbury

Democratic Rep. Melanie Stansbury won another term representing Congressional District 1 against Republican Challenger Michelle Garcia Holmes, the Associated Press reports.

Stansbury won the seat initially in a special election to fill the slot after Deb Haaland was appointed Interior Secretary. With this victory, she will now have a full term in Congress.

As of 9:25 p.m., Stansbury led Garcia Holmes by a margin of 59% to 41%, having cornered more than 126,000 votes to the Republican’s 87,7000.

Stansbury has made it known that she supports abortion for all women in the state and has spent her time in Congress helping secure $2.5 billion in relief money for the Calf Canyon-Hermits Peak Fire and passing three water-related bills through the house.

“Everything is on the line this election. From our Democracy to our basic rights; to our ability to continue to deliver to New Mexico,” she said.

Garcia Holmes focused on crime and said she was pro-life during her campaign in an effort to flip the seat red to no avail. Congressional District 1 has tended to lean left in the past 10 years. Republicans held the seat until 2009 when Martin Heinrich was sworn in. Michelle Lujan Grisham won the seat in 2012 and with the 2022 election results, the seat remains blue. (Jeanette DeDios / KUNM News)

Gabe Vasquez, a candidate for CD2 in New Mexico, walks with U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland into the N.M. Democrats’ South Valley headquarters for a canvassing event on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022. (Photo by Shelby Wyatt for Source NM)

CD2: Gabe Vasquez

Democratic candidate Gabriel Vasquez has won the race for the 2nd Congressional District, which covers much of the south of the state, and the border with Mexico.

Vasquez takes the seat from Republican incumbent Yvette Herrell, who campaigned on promises of tighter border security and support for the oil and gas industry. He has worked in conservation and been a member of the Las Cruces City Council, as well as working for Democratic U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich.

In his campaign he promised to fight for a humane reform of immigration policy. He also promised to prioritize climate change while maintaining a pragmatic approach to regulating oil and gas and protecting that industry’s jobs and revenue in the state.

The 2nd Congressional district was redrawn following the 2020 census to include Albuquerque’s Democrat-leaning, largely Hispanic, South Valley. Republicans sued the Democratic party over the new map, saying it reflected partisan bias. The state Supreme Court is due to consider the case in January. (Alice Fordham / KUNM News)

Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez. (Photo by Gino Gutierrez for Source NM)

CD3: Teresa Leger Fernandez

New Mexico voters have approved another term for Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez.

The Democrat won her second term with 54% of the vote as of 8:53 p.m. Early voting numbers showed an early lead that was insurmountable for Republican Alexis Martinez Johnson who brought in 46% of voters, with not enough to scale back the lead by Leger Fernandez.

Congressional District 3 represents northern New Mexico and for the first time towns in the southeast part of the state such as Roswell and Artesia. Those districts voted overwhelmingly Republican, but not enough to defeat the strong Democratic vote from the north. (Shaun Griswold / Source NM)

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