Tallies in congressional races
Erstwhile opponents Chase and Mathys say they will ‘show unity’
See the latest unofficial results for N.M. Congressional Districts 1, 2 and 3.
Former state Rep. Yvette Herrell said she received congratulatory phone calls from opponents Claire Chase and Chris Mathys after prevailing in the Republican 2nd Congressional District race Tuesday.
She said Chase, an oil and gas executive from Roswell, and Mathys, a businessman from Las Cruces, pledged to help her in a rematch with Democratic incumbent Xochitl Torres Small.
“We’re going to show unity,” she said.
Herrell pulled in more than 45% of the vote compared with Chase’s 32% in unofficial partial returns. Mathys had more than 23% of the vote.
“I’m so excited, we ran a very hard race,” Herrell said. “We had a completely new team.”
Torres Small, who beat Herrell by fewer than 3,000 votes in the 2018 general election, was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Independent Steve Jones is also on the November ballot.
“Now, more than ever, we need leaders committed to working together to get things accomplished,” Torres Small said in a statement. “This is what New Mexicans do, and in Congress, this is what I’ve done.”
Even with the call for unity, the question remains whether Herrell will be able to defeat Torres Small after a campaign described by political observers as “nasty.” Chase’s and Herrell’s campaigns attacked each other, each questioning the other’s loyalty to President Donald Trump.
“I don’t think it’s been good for either candidate … moving to the general with that kind of negative legacy from the primary campaign,” University of New Mexico political science professor Lonna Atkeson told the Journal. “… It can’t be good for uniting the Republican Party.”
But pollster Brian Sanderoff said in an earlier interview that a negative campaign isn’t unusual in a competitive race and that he feels confident Republicans will unite behind the winner.
The Republican Party issued a statement earlier in the campaign saying “rifts” between the Chase and Herrell campaigns could be healed.
“The 2nd Congressional District is conservative, and we believe constituents there will repudiate the liberal policies being promoted by Congresswoman Torres Small,” the party said in a statement sent out by spokesman Mike Curtis.
But Sanderoff said the negative attacks could affect how moderate Democrats and independents vote, and he said they are the ones who will determine the outcome for a seat that had been held by Republicans in every year except two since 1981, before Torres Small’s victory in 2018.
The Chase and Herrell campaigns — and supporting political action committees — spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on attack ads.
Herrell’s campaign reminded voters of anti-Trump comments Chase made leading up to the 2016 election, including calling the future president an “a**hole unworthy of the office.” Chase’s campaign has run ads claiming Herrell stood against the president, citing Herrell’s attendance at a legislative conference in 2015 in which attendees were asked about supporting Trump and no one indicated support.
Atkeson wonders whether the two campaigns “depleted” their resources in attacking each other.
“That’s going to hurt them for raising money on the general, while, with no opponent on the other side, Xochitl Torres Small has an economic advantage,” she said.
As of May 13, Torres Small had more than $3.1 million cash on hand. Herrell had more than $70,000.
Sanderoff, however, said plenty of money is likely to flow to the GOP nominee. He said there may be donors who are waiting to find out who will win before writing a check.
And outside groups are already pouring money into the general election. The Congressional Leadership Fund, affiliated with the Republican House leadership, has already booked $1.1 million in ads against Torres Small.
Heading into the night, Herrell cited her eight years as a state legislator and as a business owner in making the case for her election during a Journal-KOAT forum Sunday.
“I come to the table with the right amount of experience, the relationships, and I have the references, (Ohio) Congressman Jim Jordan, (White House Chief of Staff) Mark Meadows, (Sen.) Ted Cruz (of Texas) and others,” Herrell said. “This race is about the people of New Mexico. … This is about our values and what’s important to us, and taking those to Washington, D.C.”