In what shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who has paid attention to electoral politics in the last 15 years, New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District looks again poised to be a battleground district for the U.S. House of Representatives.
The National Republican Congressional Campaign listed the district, and incumbent Democrat Gabe Vasquez, on its list of targets for flipping in the 2026 general election.
“Out-of-touch Democrat Gabe Vasquez continues to put the radical far-left agenda ahead of New Mexicans,” NRCC spokesman Zach Bannon said in a statement. “House Republicans are on offense and will hold Vasquez accountable; he will lose his seat next year.”
Vasquez is currently in his third term in office.
Vasquez defeated then-incumbent Yvette Herrell in 2022 by just 1,350 votes. In a rematch in 2024, Vasquez won by a wider margin, over 11,000 votes.
The races have been among the most expensive in state history. The NRCC alone spent over $1.4 million targeting Vasquez in 2024, while the Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican Super PAC, spent $3.9 million.
Their Democratic counterparts also spent big.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the NRCC’s Democratic counterpart, spent over $3.3 million, while the House Majority PAC spent over $3.1 million.
