Congress hopefuls to debate on TV, online
SANTA FE — The candidates in a high-profile race for the southern-New Mexico-based congressional seat will appear in a KOAT/ Journal debate that will air at 4p.m. Sunday.
It will be the first of several planned debates involving candidates for the state’s three congressional districts and its open U.S. Senate seat.
Democrat Xochitl Torres Small, the incumbent in the 2nd Congressional District race, and Republican Yvette Herrell have both agreed to participate in the KOAT/Journal debate, which
will be conducted virtually.
This year’s race is a rematch of the 2018 contest between the two candidates, which Torres Small won narrowly after a slew of absentee ballots were counted in Doña Ana County.
Before Torres Small’s victory, the 2nd Congressional District had long been a Republican stronghold; a GOP candidate had held the seat for all but two years since 1981.
With absentee voting statewide scheduled to begin Oct. 6, this year’s race has already featured negative television ads from outside groups, as well as hard-hitting ads by both of the candidates.
Journal Senior Editor Kent Walz and KOAT-TV anchors Shelly Ribando and Doug Fernandez will moderate.
Dates and times for the KOAT/ Journal candidate debates for the 1st and 3rd Congressional District races — along with the race for the open U.S. Senate seat — have not been set, but all candidates have agreed to participate.
Other Albuquerque-area television stations also plan to hold candidate debates before Election Day, Nov. 3.