Does the decision by Yvette Herrell to accept a position in the Trump administration rather than run for her old seat in Congressional District 2 mean that seat is now as safe for Democrat Gabe Vasquez as it once was for Republicans Joe Skeen and Steve Pearce?
Democrat Harold Runnels had held the seat for a decade before his untimely death in August, 1980, less than three months before the election. His hold on the seat was so tight that Republicans didn’t bother nominating a candidate to run against him.
Democrat Harold Runnels had held the seat for a decade before his untimely death in August, 1980, less than three months before the election. His hold on the seat was so tight that Republicans didn’t bother nominating a candidate to run against him.
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Skeen, a rancher and businessman from Roswell, jumped into the race and won the seat as a write-in candidate.
He won re-election in 1982 after New Mexico had added a third district, and went on to hold the seat for the next 18 years. When Parkinson’s Disease forced Skeen to give up the seat, Pearce stepped in and held it for six of the next seven terms, the lone exception being when he gave it up to run for governor. Between them, Skeen and Pearce held the seat for 36 of the 38 years between 1980 and 2018. When Pearce finally stepped down it created an incredibly competitive district. The 2018 race between Herrell and Democrat Xochitil Torres Small was so close that the winner wasn’t decided until the morning after the election, leading to unfounded allegations of skulduggery that still persist. Herrell lost the seat that year, then won it back in 2020. That race was one of the most competitive in the nation, attracting millions of dollars in outside money to fuel relentless negative advertising campaigns. A story by the New Mexico Political Report estimated that more than $30 million had been spent on the race, the vast majority coming from outside groups. Then the state Legislature redrew the maps, making what was once a safe district for Republicans now safe for Democrats. Vasquez won the seat in 2022, then won re-election last year despite an ad campaign against him that would have had viewers believe he was atop our most wanted list. Herrell knows that was her best chance. It just gets tougher from here, as Vasquerz strengthens his grip on the seat, just as Skeen and Pearce had done before him. For whatever reason, voters in the district have proven over the years to be adverse to change. It remains to be seen who will step in to challenge Vasquez next year. The lone challenger thus far is Eddy Aragon, a radio talk show host from Albuquerque, according to the Albuquerque Journal. Whoever they choose, he or she won’t have the same experience and ability as a political campaigner that Herrell did. And so, it looks like the new map has served its purpose. All five of New Mexico’s seats in Congress are now held by Democrats. As somebody who leans to the left, I suppose I should be happy about that. I didn’t like being represented by Pearce, and I am more aligned with the Democrats on most issues. But I don’t like safe seats because they make politicians less beholden to their voters. And, I think the government works better when both sides have a chance to be heard. Walter Rubel can be reached at [email protected] |
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