Rep. Gabe Vasquez may not be a name you are familiar with. He’s the incumbent representative for New Mexico’s 2nd district — having won the seat from the GOP in the 2022 election. Vasquez sits on both the House Agricultural Committee and the House Armed Services Committee. Naturally, he joined the Congressional Hispanic Caucus upon his arrival in D.C. He is one of the more moderate members of our caucus, having joined the New Democratic Coalition.
The best profile I have found on Rep. Gabe Vazquez was an article written before his 2022 initial election. It described him as an avid fan of the outdoors, while also exploring his roots.
His launch video in 2022 also delves briefly into his roots in southern New Mexico.
For the second time in a row, Vasquez will face the odious former Rep. Yvette Herrell. Herrell is a true believer MAGA Republican who has an appalling record in her one term in Congress. This is the 4th election in a row that Herrell has contested New Mexico’s 2nd district. However, she is also a formidable opponent in a very swingy seat. We cannot afford to take this race too lightly! Question is, can Rep. Gabe Vasquez win another term?
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Gabe Vasquez for New Mexico-2
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What’s the Big Idea?
THIS RACE IS A TOSSUP, with a D+1 PVI
This district has traditionally covered southern and eastern New Mexico. It is often nicknamed “Little Texas” due to the prevalence of oil and cattle ranching as important industries. Throughout its short history, it has been more likely to support the GOP than the rest of New Mexico. Since 2018, this district has been heavily contested each election. Former Rep. Xochitl Torres Small won during the 2018 blue wave election, only to cede back this district to Former Rep. Yvette Herrell during the 2020 election.
The new map for the 2020s dropped conservative portions of eastern New Mexico and added areas closer to Albuquerque and some reservations in western New Mexico. While the congressional map does favor Democrats, it was not found that “the disparate treatment of vote dilution rises to the level of an egregious gerrymander.” Therefore, the courts upheld the map.
In 2020, Joe Biden won this gerrymandered district by a slim 51.9% to 46.0% margin. That is compared to a double digit loss in the 2nd district under the old lines used in the 2010’s. Even though this district is much more Democratic friendly than before, it still can elect Republicans. Rep. Gabe Vasquez very narrowly won this district in 2022, winning 50.3% to 49.6%. That’s a win of only around 1,300 votes! Vasquez will have a challenge on his hands holding this district in each election, and 2024 will be no exception.
Here’s where this race will be won in the 2nd district.
- Albuquerque Metro Area: This is one of two Democratic anchors found in the district. Most of these denizens are used to being in the 1st district, which hasn’t been competitive in a while. Both candidates have to court these voters if they desire to win in the fall.
- Las Cruces Corridor: This is the other Democratic anchor in the district, and it is the home base of Gabe Vasquez. He will have to get supercharged turnout from this city if he wishes to remain in Congress. The voters in this part of the district cannot be taken for granted.
- Native American Reservations: The northwestern corner of the district has quite a few Native American reservations. In a close race, these overwhelmingly Democratic votes could tip the balance if Vasquez can convince them to turnout in great numbers.
Here’s where we need to keep the margins down, or we lose.
- Southwestern New Mexico: These counties used to consistently go for Democratic candidates, but many of them narrowly voted for Biden or voted for Trump twice narrowly. This is the swing portion of the district that Vasquez needs to at least get level with Herrell in to win it.
- Southeastern New Mexico: This is the part of “Little Texas” that remains in the district, and it will be tough sledding for Vasquez, as it is Herrell’s home turf. There are some blue precincts in the small cities, so it is worth contesting the cities. The countryside is hopelessly red.
- Valencia County: For the first time since 1912, this county voted for the wrong candidate for President (it had always picked the winner until 2020). It has sharply trended red, and Vasquez needs to partially reverse that trend if he is to be successful in 2024.
Who is Rep. Gabe Vasquez?
Rep. Gabe Vasquez has been in Congress for a little over a year now, and he has amassed a more moderate record than many of his fellow Democratic colleagues in the House of Representatives. He still stands strong in opposing MAGA measures and the chaos that the House GOP has descended into. He is a much better representative for the people than Yvette Herrell would have been if she had won!
- Immigration Reform. Vasquez is willing to touch the third rail in current politics — comprehensive immigration reform. He has made several proposals to help provide a pathway for citizenship for working migrants, crack down on drug smugglers and coyotes, and to secure the border more humanely.
- Abortion Protector. Vasquez is a vote to codify Roe v. Wade into the law of the land. He would also be a vote against a national abortion ban and a contraception ban as proposed by MAGA Republicans. He has been endorsed by NARAL Pro-Choice America which supports candidates who champion abortion rights.
- Better Health Care for All. Vasquez would support a public option, lowering the Medicare enrollment age to 55, and also including dental and vision coverage in traditional Medicare. He has lauded the Biden-Harris administration for accomplishing the negotiation of prescription drug prices through Medicare.
- Better Agriculture for New Mexicans. Vasquez is using his post on the House Agricultural Committee to help farmers and ranchers in his district. He’s proposed legislation to help compensate ranchers for wolf attacks. He has involved stakeholders in his district in writing the next Farm Bill. He also is working to combat the shortages in farm laborers in his district, which dovetails nicely with his immigration priorities.
- Tribal Sovereignty. The 2nd district contains many different tribal governments, including the Navajo, Zuni, Laguna Pueblo, and many more. Vasquez would codify the decision made in McGirt that has been rolled back by the Supreme Court. In Congress, Vasquez has introduced legislation to help combat the acute teacher shortage common in indigenous communities.
- Environmental Protections. As the profile at the beginning of this article alludes to, Vasquez is a firm supporter of protecting the environment of New Mexico. He has a strong record prior to Congress of protecting public lands. He is working with stakeholders to protect and fairly use federal lands for hunting, fishing, camping, and other recreational pursuits. The League of Conservation Voters has endorsed his campaign.
- Protecting Our Democracy. Vasquez is another vote for the John Lewis VRA, and against those who would overturn elections such as Yvette Herrell. He has been working hard to ensure that all citizens in his district can vote, regardless of political party.
- Clean Energy Advocate. Vasquez has a delicate dance to do on energy issues, because the “Little Texas” oil legacy is still strong in his district. He is a proponent of replacing fossil fuels with wind and solar energy as soon as possible, while still looking out for the interests of oil workers in his district.
- Water Issues. One of the toughest problems to solve in the western United States is how to allocate the scarce water resources found there. The problem will only get worse with the climate crisis! Vasquez would work to protect these critical resources from being squandered like they were in next door Arizona. He has to balance the allocations of agriculture, urban areas, Native tribes, and many other stakeholders.
- Worker Power! Vasquez is for helping the workers in his district, as opposed to the large corporations. He would be a vote for the PRO Act, which would help unions better organize across the country. He is a proponent of raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and repealing the budget busting Trump tax cuts.
Who is Yvette Herrell?
Rep. Yvette Herrell is a MAGA Republican that amassed a terrible voting record while she was in Congress. She was a member of the House Freedom Caucus, which includes some of the most far-right and troublesome members in the House of Representatives. Her positions on many issues are extreme and she would come to D.C. to paralyze the government, not help make it better.
- Election Denier. Herrell is one of the 147 Republicans that voted against certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 election over Donald Trump. This is a pattern for her, as she insinuated that her defeat in 2018 was based on fraudulent ballots. She eventually conceded in both 2018 and 2022, but it took a while. She would likely object to a Biden win in 2024 if she makes it to Congress.
- Forced Birth Maniac. Herrell is another candidate that has scrubbed mentions of abortion from her campaign website. However, she is another vote for a national abortion ban and she cheered on the abortion bounty law in Texas before Dobbs was handed down by the Supreme Court. She also supported forced birth measures while in the New Mexico state legislature.
- Religious Bigot. Herrell would roll back protections for LGBTQ+ people. In her record, she voted against the Equality Act and the Respect for Marriage Act. She would likely support a drag queen ban, and a “Don’t Say Gay” law if elected to Congress. Once again, she has scrubbed mentions of LGBTQ+ issues from her website.
- Immigration Hardliner. Herrell has called for the National Guard to be deployed to the southern border in order to curb immigration. She says that DACA “needs to be reformed”, which is vague but combined with her other policies sounds ominous. Finally, she is an immigration hypocrite, pushing for asylum for Canadian truckers protesting COVID vaccines.
- Repealing the ACA. Herrell has stated that the Affordable Care Act needs to be repealed, leaving Americans at the mercy of the health insurance industry once again. While I don’t have any hard proof, I suspect that she would support draconian cuts in both Medicare and Medicaid being proposed in Congress.
- 2nd Amendment Zealot. Herrell will not support ANY legislation that “infringes upon the 2nd amendment”, which includes any gun safety measure. To fix the problem of school shootings, her solution is to allow concealed carry on school grounds. She has been endorsed in the past by the NRA, and has an A+ grade with the organization.
- “Woke Warrior”. Herrell claims that the classroom needs to have “woke politics taken out of it”, and is a proponent of having “more parent oversight over education”. Reading between the lines, that means she supports measures such as book bans and other items similar to what DeSantis has implemented in Florida. Yet she claims that the government should have a limited role in education.
- Big Oil’s Best Friend. On her website, she claims that clean energy is the “radical green agenda” and that her #1 mission is to lower gas prices through more domestic production of oil. Yet she voted against the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act. She said Trump was correct in taking the United States out of the Paris Climate accord. She voted against the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.
- COVID Zaniness. Herrell touted ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine as effective anti-COVID measures long after the medical establishment debunked them as ineffective. She also resisted all mask mandates and COVID precautions during the height of the pandemic. She voted against the American Rescue Plan that helped Americans during the pandemic.
- Reefer Madness. Herrell consistently voted against bills that would legalize marijuana or integrate that growing industry into the larger economy. She voted against the SAFE Banking Act which would’ve opened up dispensaries to capital from banks and other financial institutions. She also voted against the MORE Act, which would have legalized marijuana and expunged past criminal offenses.
How Can You Help?
If you don’t live in the Land of Enchantment, it may seem like it is impossible to help in a crucial race that may decide who wins the House. Luckily, all it takes to help Rep. Gabe Vasquez is a simple donation. Every donation counts, no matter how small! This contest is guaranteed to be expensive and nasty.
Rep. Gabe Vasquez hasn’t kicked his fundraising into high gear yet. He raised a ho-hum $415k for Q3, which is more than what Yvette Herrell raised but it isn’t spectacular by any stretch of the imagination. Luckily for us, Herrell only raised $242k during the same time period, so she hasn’t hit higher levels of fundraising either.
Vasquez has a small advantage in cash on hand when compared to Herrell, but it isn’t as large as the gap between incumbents and most challengers. Herrell can use funds from her previous runs to get a jump start on her cash on hand. Vasquez has around $875k parked in the bank, while Herrell has close to $516k that she can spend on this race.
If you live in western Texas, southeastern Arizona, the Las Cruces area, the Albuquerque area, or in southern New Mexico the best way to help Rep. Gabe Vasquez is to volunteer for his campaign. Even at this early date, campaigns are active in canvassing and dialing for dollars. I suspect that those who can speak Spanish are especially coveted by the Vasquez campaign right now.
One final way you can help is to promote Vasquez on social media. For an incumbent, that involves boosting both his campaign account and his official accounts. The official accounts tend to show the accomplishments of incumbents, while the campaign accounts tend to focus on what is needed to win the election.
Vasquez has around 4.7k followers on his official Twitter account. He’s using it primarily to communicate with the citizens of his district — by announcing town halls and measures that show that he is helping the district out. The legislation he co-sponsored below is a perfect example of him helping his district out!
He also has around 2.4k followers on his official Facebook account. It contains much of the same content as his official Twitter feed, but it also has a few differences as well. Here is another example of him listening to everyone in the district. Atomic bomb tests have sickened some of his residents for generations. He’s in Congress willing to do something about it!
His Twitter account for his campaign has a robust 14.8k followers. While it isn’t as high as the most popular members of Congress, it is enough to get his messaging out for his tough re-election. He pivots between touting his accomplishments, attacking Herrell and MAGA Republicans, and showing what his campaign is up to.
His campaign Facebook account only has 2.3k followers. He’s using his Facebook account to show that he is ready for a grueling campaign once again. He must be doing something right, because his comments show him being attacked from the far right and the far left of this country.
Help spread the word today by following Rep. Gabe Vasquez and boosting his accomplishments and his campaign in the critical realm of social media!
Rep. Gabe Vasquez seems to be a good fit for New Mexico’s 2nd district. Between serving on the Las Cruces city council and as a staffer for Sen. Martin Heinrich, it is clear that Vasquez deeply cares about helping New Mexico. He combines some liberal and moderate stances to truly reflect the lean of the district. His positions on the House Agricultural Committee and House Armed Services Committee are vital for protecting the interests of southern New Mexico.
Rep. Yvette Herrell will definitely prove to be a strong challenger for Vasquez. After running for this district three times, she is a seasoned campaigner with a strong base of support in southeastern New Mexico. Biden is likely to win this district, but Vasquez underperformed the Biden margins in 2022 and even with Biden at the top of the ticket this race CANNOT be taken for granted.
Gabe Vasquez for New Mexico-2
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