A historic election by any measure saw another milestone in New Mexico on Tuesday night, as the state will send the first all-women of color congressional delegation to the capital in January.
The 2020 election marked another fierce faceoff between Democratic incumbent Xochitl Torres Small and Republican challenger Yvette Herrell after the two locked horns in the 2018 election.
Herrell won the seat with 54% of the vote, ousting Torres Small by just over 20,000 votes in the sprawling, largely rural district.
The results marked a shift back to power for New Mexico Republicans, who had previously occupied the traditionally conservative congressional seat.
The race between the two candidates drew national attention with an assist from President Donald Trump, who campaigned virtually for Herrell.
Torres Small tried to bridge the political gap to appeal to moderates and conservatives with her dedication to the oil and gas industries within the district, which likely was one of the primary causes of her ouster. She went as far as to criticize her party’s presidential nominee, Joe Biden, on his stance on moving from the oil industry to more renewable sources.
Elsewhere in the state, Democratic congresswoman Deb Haaland defeated her Republican challenger, Michelle Garcia Holmes, securing her 1st District seat representing Albuquerque for a second term.
Haaland won with 58% of the vote while her opponent, Garcia Holmes, only managed 42% of the vote in unofficial results with all precincts reporting as of Wednesday morning.
“The people of New Mexico have chosen hope over fear, love over hate, community over division,” Haaland said on Twitter. “Tonight, I recommit to fighting for legislation that will guide our nation forward in the areas of climate change, education, racial equality, health care and economic justice.”
In the state’s northern — and heavily blue — 3rd Congressional District, Democratic candidate Teresa Leger Fernandez defeated Republican opponent Alexis Johnson with ease.
Leger Fernandez won 58% of the vote, while Johnson received 42% of the vote as of Wednesday morning, with about 307,000 votes counted.
Leger Fernandez takes over the northern New Mexican House seat vacated by congressman Ben Ray Luján, who gave up his spot to run for retiring Tom Udall’s U.S. Senate seat this year. She will become the first woman to hold the 3rd District since its creation in 1983.
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In her victory speech, Leger Fernandez said she wants to earn the trust of those who didn’t vote for her.
“I promise to listen to your voices and strategize with you to help us all solve our common problems,” Leger Fernandez said during a virtual election event held by the New Mexico Democratic Party. “2021 will be transformative as we address the failures that have caused so much death and misery, as we resolve ourselves to act in unison, in the face of a crisis.”
William Jennings is a Daily Lobo guest reporter. He can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @WillJenningsUNM
