Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) and former GOP Rep. Yvette Herrell won their primary elections on Tuesday night, sealing their competitive rematch to control New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District.
The races were called shortly after polls closed at 9 p.m. Eastern, as both Vasquez and Herrell did not face challengers for their party’s nominations. The two will go on to face each other in the November election in what is shaping up to be one of the most watched elections of the 2024 cycle.
Vasquez could face an uphill battle to reclaim the seat as he faces backlash from criminal allegations dating back 20 years ago. Those reports, which were independently confirmed by the Washington Examiner, said Vasquez used a racial slur when calling his former place of employment in 2004.
The call occurred after Vasquez was allegedly fired for falsifying data from Research Data Design Incorporated and “had been calling harassing employees” before the incident in which he called the company and asked for “Chris.”
When the employee didn’t know who he meant, he said, “Chris, the n*****,” and the employee hung up. He called back to another employee and asked for Chris again, saying, “Chris, the black man,” before laughing and hanging up.
The July 29, 2004, police report indicates Vasquez was charged with one count of “USE OF TELE TO TERRIFY, INTIMIDATE, THREAT, HARASS,” which is a misdemeanor in New Mexico. However, the case was suspended in 2008, according to the report, which likely means the investigation was abandoned.
Vasquez previously denied ever using the racial slur, calling the report “categorically false.”
“This is another example of how desperate Republicans are lying about my character rather than focusing on delivering for New Mexico,” Vasquez told the Daily Mail.
Republicans have since seized on those reports, with the National Republican Congressional Committee using his comments against him in fundraising missives.
“This is unacceptable behavior from a Member of Congress,” Delanie Bomar, a spokeswoman for NRCC, said. “Gabe Vasquez clearly has a problem with authority and this pattern of behavior shows he is unfit to serve. Do Hakeem Jeffries and Vasquez’s House colleagues agree?”
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Vasquez won the seat after defeating Herrell by less than 1 point in the 2022 midterm elections. Before that, Herrell held the seat after winning the district by 7.4 points in 2020.
Since then, the seat has been deemed a toss-up and is rated as D+1. The district has especially attracted national attention, as no incumbent has been able to win reelection to that seat in the last two election cycles.
