NEW MEXICO (KRQE) — With the post-election announcement that Democrat Gabe Vasquez won the election for New Mexico’s southern congressional district, the state’s representation in the U.S. House of Representatives is turning completely blue in 2023. But it’s not the first time.
Since 1983, New Mexico has been represented by three representatives in the U.S. House. That was when the state’s 3rd Congressional District was created, covering northern New Mexico. In all of the years that New Mexico’s had three districts, the state’s representation in the U.S. House has been all blue only twice before.
In 2008, Democrat Harry Teague was elected to represent New Mexico’s southern portion, Congressional District 2. At the same time, Democrat Ben Ray Luján was elected to represent New Mexico’s north in Congressional District 3. And Democrat Martin Heinrich was elected to represent New Mexico’s central district, Congressional District 1.
That Democratic control slipped way after just one congressional term. By the end of 2010, Republican Steve Pearce was elected to represent Congressional District 2. But Democrats remained in power in the other two districts.
Then, in 2018, New Mexicans elected Democrat Xochitl Torres Small to represent the southern portion of New Mexico. When Torres Small took the seat from Pearce, New Mexico once again was all blue in the U.S. House.
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Now, if the election does not go to a recount that upsets the results, Democrat Gabe Vasquez will again complete an all-blue representation in the U.S. House. Incumbent Democrats Teresa Leger Fernandez (CD 3) and Melanie Stansbury (CD 1) both won reelection in the 2022 midterm election.
So, New Mexico has been all blue in the U.S. House of Representatives before. And in fact, it’s also been all red before. Since its creation, Congressional District 3 has only had one Republican representative, Bill Redmond. And during his time in office, from 1997 to 1999, New Mexico’s two other districts also had sitting Republicans.
