GOP state lawmaker kicks off Congress bid
Herrell of Alamogordo first Republican to seek Pearce’s seat
A Republican state legislator from Alamogordo will seek the Southern New Mexico congressional seat held by U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., who announced Monday that he plans to run for governor in 2018.
State Rep. Yvette Herrell is the first Republican to jump into the race for New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District. And while the vast district includes some of the most staunchly conservative counties in the state, Democrats are hoping to win the district now that it is up for grabs.
“I have made the decision to run for Congress because I care about New Mexico and understand the importance of having a voice in Washington that will represent our values, our culture and our future,” Herrell said in her announcement.
Herrell has won a reputation as one of the more conservative members of the state House of Representatives since she won her seat in 2010. She has sponsored legislation to ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and backed calling a national convention to amend the U.S. Constitution with restrictions on government spending as well as term limits for members of Congress. Herrell is also a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council,
an organization promoting conservative policies at the state level around the country.
But Herrell has also worked with Democrats on some issues, such as improving access to midwives and a controversial effort to cap interest rates on installment loans. And when asked about working across party lines in Washington, D.C., she said education policy and drug prevention could provide opportunities for bipartisanship.
Nonetheless, the New Mexico Democratic Party was quick to blast Herrell’s candidacy, describing her as extreme.
“Yvette Herrell works hand in hand with Steve Pearce and has shown that she would rather put the harmful Republican agenda ahead of the people of southern New Mexico,” state Party Chairman Richard Ellenberg said in a statement.
Pearce won the seat comfortably each time he was on the ballot. But with the race wide open, Democrats are more optimistic they can flip the district from red to blue. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee listed the district among several it will target in 2018. And four Democrats have already jumped into the race.
If Herrell is on the ballot for the congressional seat, her solidly Republican legislative district would be up for grabs, too.
A native New Mexican born in Ruidoso and raised in Cloudcroft, Herrell is a former legislative staffer and works as a real estate broker.
Herrell conceded that the race for the 2nd Congressional District could be tighter than when Pearce comfortably won re-election. And she may not be the only Republican on the June primary election ballot.
State Sen. Cliff Pirtle of Roswell and state Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn are also considering running for the congressional seat.