{"id":49701,"date":"2026-10-19T14:43:38","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T21:43:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/?p=49701"},"modified":"2026-10-19T14:47:48","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T21:47:48","slug":"congressional-district-2-gets-the-spotlight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/congressional-district-2-gets-the-spotlight\/","title":{"rendered":"Congressional District 2 Gets the Spotlight"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The most competitive U.S. House race in the state, and one of the most watched in the country, doesn’t just take center stage on New Mexico in Focus this week \u2014 it rightfully takes the whole stage. Tonight, we\u2019re dedicating the full hour to the consequential contest for Congressional District 2 between Democratic Rep. Gabe Vasquez and his Republican challenger, Greg Cunningham.\u00a0

Congressional Republicans this midterm are white-knuckling their slim majority in the House, which Democrats are favored to take away. New Mexico\u2019s CD2 was one of just 13 in the country where voters went for President Donald Trump in 2024 while also electing a Democrat to Congress.\u00a0 So, Republicans are eying it as a flippable seat.\u00a0

That’s why Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise visited New Mexico this week, though they missed Balloon Fiesta by just days \u2014 the time of year we usually expect an influx of out-of-staters who don\u2019t otherwise pay much attention to us. Trump also endorsed Cunningham, a former Marine and Albuquerque police officer, in a social media video.\u00a0

And after Vasquez won the seat from Republican Yvette Herrell in 2022 by less than 1%, and only beat her by 4% in a 2024 rematch, the Democratic Party doesn\u2019t appear to be taking the seat for granted. They sent out a headliner of their own \u2014 former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg \u2014 last month to rally for the two-term congressman.\u00a0

Both parties thinking they have a real chance in CD2 isn\u2019t at all far-fetched. Of New Mexico\u2019s three congressional districts, the second has flipped between parties the most in recent years. That said, it\u2019s yet to change back to red since lawmakers redrew it in 2021.\u00a0

The Democratic-led Legislature changed the district\u2019s boundaries \u2014 and partisan makeup \u2014 considerably that year by including Albuquerque\u2019s deep-blue South Valley and excluding parts of the MAGA-heavy southeast oil patch. The state GOP sued, arguing the district was now nearly unwinnable for a Republican. But a state district judge disagreed, ruling in 2023 that Democrats\u2019 efforts did not \u201crise to the level of an egregious gerrymander.\u201d The judge cited that 2022 election, when Vasquez prevailed by the skin of his teeth, as proof that it\u2019s not a safe blue district.\u00a0

With an Albuquerque Journal poll out this week showing the spread at just 4%, with Vasquez out ahead, it\u2019s likely this will end up another nailbiter. Notably, however, Vasquez has a much wider lead in the district\u2019s cities of Las Cruces (his hometown) and Albuquerque (Cunningham\u2019s).\u00a0

All that historical and political context aside, we at NMiF aren\u2019t in the election-prediction game. We’re more in the informed, in-depth, longform interview game if I was gonna try and nail it down. And that\u2019s what we offer you this week.\u00a0

I sat with Vasquez for about half the show, and Cunningham for the other half. I start out with Vasquez, asking about his background and record. Then, it\u2019s Cunningham\u2019s turn for a bit of a candidate profile and inquiry about his preparedness for Congress. We finish out both interviews with a focus on the key issues facing whichever of them ends up serving in the 120th Congress, and what they plan to do about them.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Join us before you head out to vote if you\u2019re taking advantage of expanded early voting, which begins tomorrow. And if you missed our coverage of the governor\u2019s race or the land commissioner contest, check those out on our YouTube Channel<\/a>, too. Then tune back in over the next couple weeks for more Congressional coverage and a look at the race for secretary of state. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

-Nash Jones, Host<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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