J.P. Gairhan is a senior political science and history major in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences from Cabot, Arkansas. He has been actively involved with the Associated Student Government, the Distinguished Lectures Committee, the Student Alumni Board, and Phi Delta Theta. He is currently the 97th student body president at the University of Arkansas. Upon graduation, he hopes to pursue a career within development policy.
The New Mexico 2nd Congressional District of the U.S. House of Representatives is the fifth largest district in the nation, and the largest not to comprise an entire state. Xochitl Torres Small, a Democrat, is running against Republican Yvette Herrell in the race to represent greater southern New Mexico. Republican Steve Pearce has represented the district in the House since 2011. Small won her primary on June 5, 2018, with 72.6% of the vote; whereas Herrell won her primary with just under 50% of the vote. The New Mexico 2nd went for President Trump in 2016 by a margin of 10.2 points. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won the state of New Mexico by 8.2 points.
Historically speaking, the district that comprises the New Mexico 2nd is historically conservative. Republicans have held the seat overwhelmingly since its creation in 1969. This particular cycle has favored towards being a more competitive race than in years past. Democrat Xochitl Torres Small is an attorney from Las Cruces who specializes in water litigation. She is running against Republican Yvette Herrell, a state lawmaker and real estate agent from Alamogordo. Each candidate has been the victim of attack ads from both Republican and Democratic interest groups.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, chaired by New Mexico’s own Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, of the New Mexico 3rd District, has listed the race in their “Red to Blue” campaign. Torres Small has had significantly more cash on hand coming into the final stretch of the election. The final financial disclosure reports for the race will not be disclosed until later in the month of October. As of June 30, Torres Small had raised $928,419 and spent $432,438. That left her $495,980 cash on hand, nearly five times more than her opponent. As for who’s giving, about 20% of Torres Small’s contributors are small donors, those who’ve given $200 or less, and 23 percent comes from political action committees — $215,625. Herrell reported raising $512,610 as of June 30. She had spent $412,316 and had $100,294 cash on hand. 5% comes from small donors ($200 or less), and about 13% of Herrell’s contributors are PACs. The balance of their accounts come from large donors, a mix of individual contributors and businesses. Top industries include oil and gas, and agriculture for Herrell, and attorneys and educators for Torres Small. A recent Albuquerque Journal poll done by a New Mexico pollster shows Herrell with a convincing lead of 48% to 41%. National groups that track the chances of candidates, like the Cook Political Report, currently have the race at too close to call, with Cook this week moving it from “lean Republican” to “Republican toss up.” Torres Small is banking on the race becoming nationalized and for a blue wave to push her over the edge in November.