Outside money pours into Congress race

SANTA FE — The race for an open southern New Mexicobased congressional seat between Democrat Xochitl Torres Small and Republican Yvette Herrell is drawing increased national attention — and outside ad dollars.

The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC endorsed by U.S. House Republican leadership, said Thursday that it had added the 2nd Congressional District race to a list of races included in a $13 million national TV ad buy for this fall.

The New Mexico race is one of five new congressional races the super PAC is targeting. The others are in Illinois, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina.

Other national Democratic and Republican political groups have already launched political advertisements of their own in the race.

The 2nd Congressional District seat has been held by a Republican for all but two years since 1981, but Democrats are eyeing a breakthrough this year in a race that is open because incumbent U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce decided to forgo a re-election bid and instead run for governor.

Recent polls have shown the race could be close. In a Journal Poll conducted last week, 48 percent of proven, likely voters surveyed said they would vote for Herrell, while 41 percent said they would vote for Torres Small.

Herrell is a four-term state lawmaker from Alamogordo. Torres Small is a water rights attorney from Las Cruces making her first bid for elected office.

The 2nd Congressional District includes New Mexico’s borderland region and oil patch in the state’s southeastern corner. It also includes Las Cruces, Belen, Los Lunas, Roswell,

Grants, Hobbs, Carlsbad and Artesia.

Whoever wins the 2nd Congressional District race will become the first woman to hold the seat.

ABSENTEE BALLOTS: New Mexico’s general election is still more than 45 days away, but registered voters can already request absentee ballots online.

The absentee ballots can be requested at nmvote.org and will be sent out starting on Oct. 9. Voters can then turn in the completed absentee ballots through Election Day — Nov. 6 — at their county clerks’ offices or an Election Day polling location.

To request an absentee ballot online, voters need to confirm their identification by providing their date of birth, Social Security number and driver’s license or state identification card number.